Health Insurance Growth in India: Trends, Challenges, and Future Prospects

Abstract Health insurance has emerged as a key health determinant in modern healthcare settings in the overall context of financial risk reduction, as well as ensuring access and fostering equity in comparison to the primary health determinants. It has expanded holistically in India due to increased healthcare spending, epidemiological transitions, policy and regulation actions, and technological disruption. Institutional issues remain nonetheless. Over half the population is still not covered and even the insurance coverage that is provided is plagued with issues of cost, procedural disarray, and denial of claims. The paper critically examines the evolution of the Indian health insurance market with structural growth, disruptive technologies (blockchain, AI), public-private partnerships, and policy interventions. The research points towards greater insurance literacy, streamlining of claims infrastructure, and the application of analytics for better risk pooling and pricing.