Ahmedabad hospitals to suspend cashless facilities for three insurers

Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association (AHNA) announced on Tuesday that its member hospitals will indefinitely suspend cashless treatment services for policyholders of Star Health & Allied Insurance, Care Health Insurance, and Tata AIG Health Insurance starting April 2.

In a statement, AHNA cited long-standing grievances from both patients and hospitals regarding unjustified claim deductions, arbitrary claim rejections, and unexplained delisting of healthcare providers from insurer networks. Despite multiple discussions, AHNA claimed that the companies failed to address these concerns, leaving them no choice but to take this step.

AHNA also stated that while it is working on alternative cashless payment options through financial institutions, Star Health policyholders may not benefit from these arrangements.

The association also highlighted that, according to the 2023-24 annual report of the Council of Insurance Ombudsman, Ahmedabad recorded the third-highest number of health insurance complaints, trailing only Mumbai and Pune.

Star Health Insurance responded by reaffirming its commitment to affordable and accessible healthcare, while Tata AIG emphasized its dedication to ethical partnerships and transparency. A spokesperson from Care Health Insurance could not be reached for comment.

AHNA has urged the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) to intervene and take action against the insurers. Deshgujarat