Last year, after a Delhi High Court’s directive and an IRDAI mandate, Indian companies started offering standard insurance policies to persons with disabilities. However, this hasn’t met with enthusiastic responses because of several issues from limited or inadequate coverage to failure to meet accessibility standards by insurers. Lack of agent sensitisation is also another reason for poor uptake.

The need of the hour is twofold — disability-specific policies for customers, and the availability of comprehensive insurance coverage for assistive devices. 

Last year, on cue, Arman Ali, the executive director of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), finally secured his health insurance after a seven-year struggle. Given that currently, a set of government guidelines is used to evaluate a person’s degree of disability and the higher the disability, the tougher it is to get insurance in India, Ali’s 80% disability was met with denials all around.

Healthcare for persons with disabilities is generally expensive in India, which makes it imperative for comprehensive coverage plans to be available for all. This should also extend to assistive devices, which can be expensive and unaffordable for most people disability. 

Ali secured insurance for his German-made wheelchair after going back and forth with several companies for well over a year. SBI General’s offering has stood out as a landmark move in terms of making life slightly easier for people with disability, particularly those with impaired mobility. 

There is still some way to go, but in taking the first steps towards insuring the disabled and their essential assistive devices, India has made an important move towards equity and inclusion. The more people are empowered, the higher we all go.