Hospitals charging more for insurance patients? Govt plans to end practice

New Delhi: The central government is set to bring private hospitals under closer scrutiny for charging inflated rates to patients with health insurance.

The National Health Claims Exchange Portal, currently managed by the Ministry of Health, will be transferred to the Ministry of Finance. It will come under the control of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India, which functions under the Finance Ministry.

The portal serves as a centralised system for processing mediclaim requests, but there has been no effective mechanism to stop hospitals from charging varying rates for identical treatments. Several insurance companies have raised concerns about this lack of transparency with the government.

Officials stated that the move is intended to streamline and standardise treatment costs, making the entire insurance claims process more transparent. It will also aim to unify treatment rates across hospitals.

Investigations have revealed that many private hospitals request patient’s insurance details at the time of admission and then adjust treatment rates accordingly, often inflating the costs based on the coverage available.