Average hospitalisation claim size in the country saw a sharp jump of 11.35 per cent to Rs 70,558 in FY2024, from Rs 62,548 crore in the previous fiscal year, says a report.
Men on an average claimed Rs 77,543, while women claimed Rs 69,553 (without maternity), general insurer ACKO said in its India Health Report 2024.
The jump in hospitalisation expenses indicates the surge in healthcare costs and medical inflation in the country.
The largest claim related to heart disease – specifically for a cardiac procedure – filed in the past year exceeded Rs 1.1 crore, while the biggest kidney disease-related claim topped Rs 24 lakh.
The costs of common medical procedures have escalated, with angioplasty (PTCA) costs soaring from Rs 1-1.5 lakh in 2018 to Rs 2-3 lakh in 2024, and projections suggest that the cost could reach Rs 6-7 lakh by 2030, the report said. The report’s findings are based on 60,000 health insurance claims filed with ACKO during 2023-24.
The report showed that kidney transplant costs have doubled, from Rs 5-8 lakh in 2018 to Rs 10-15 lakh in 2024, with expectations of it surpassing Rs 20 lakh by 2030.
Two cities – Kolkata and Mumbai emerged as the leading metros for circulatory system disorders, including heart attacks, strokes, and other ischemic conditions.
“Specifically, 7.03 per cent of total claims in Kolkata last year were attributed to heart diseases, while Mumbai saw 7 per cent. Chennai and Pune followed with 6.45 per cent and 5.5 per cent respectively, all surpassing the national average for heart-related claims,” the report showed.
In terms of kidney-related diseases, Delhi NCR had the highest proportion of claims. Kochi, Secunderabad, and Bengaluru also reported kidney health claims above the national average. In Delhi NCR, 35.3 per cent of total claims were kidney-related, followed by Kochi at 18 per cent. Secunderabad (17.4 per cent), Bengaluru (13.1 per cent), and Jaipur (12.8 per cent) similarly recorded kidney-related claims exceeding the national average.
As per the report, another concerning trend was the sharp rise in hospitalisations due to neoplasms (tumors, both benign and malignant) and heart conditions as people age.
Hospitalisations for neoplasms saw a jump by 2.8 times from ages 31-40 (3.81 per cent) to 41-50 (10.61 per cent). Similarly, claims related to heart, and circulatory system diseases saw a threefold increase between the ages of 31-40 (2.24 per cent) and 41-50 (6.88 per cent).
A 69 per cent of maternity claims were filed for C-section deliveries while normal delivery constituted 31 per cent of the claims in private hospitals, the report showed.
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