| Summary: | Insurance refers to a promise of compensation for any potential future losses. Health insurance is a form of insurance that compensates for medical expenses related to sickness and treatment. Huge portion of Indian population are vulnerable to economic burden in accessing health care. Equity in accessing healthcare is also of great concern in India. In the present scenario, vulnerable population of our country can be protected from impoverishment and catastrophic health expenditure through a model of health insurance that encompasses the entire population. However, health insurance is still in a developing condition in India. In this article we have discussed the challenges and opportunities for both the public and private insurance system in India. Presently there are important challenges in the public sector as well as private sector insurance in India in terms of monitoring, data capturing, administration and oversight. It is also important to gauge the financial sustainability of the insurance programme and develop early warning systems for identification of signs of collapse. Ensuring adequate focus on the primary and secondary level of care including preventive aspects is another area where insurance programmes have to work since majority presently focus only on tertiary care.
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