Shreeraj Deshpande of Future General India Insurance speaks on Pre-Budget
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It’s Union Budget time of the year. A lot of expectations are held from this year’s budget as India’s economy is going through a critical phase of growth. Every year, the Indian Healthcare industry focuses on one static refuse to change government spending money on healthcare stays put at around 1 per cent of the GDP. It is the only sector that can get affordable if the government reconsiders this upwards. Apart from this, hospitals are treated on equivalence with the entertainment industry regarding charges for utilities like power consumption. Cost of medical equipment is another pain point which the government needs to work on.
Shreeraj Deshpande, Principal Officer & Key Managerial Personnel, Future General India Insurance, says “Medical inflation is growing at 14-16% every year and the healthcare expenses of the average household can easily exceed the medical allowance limit of 
15000 per annum. Companies usually cap the medical allowances at the tax-free limit of 15000. If this limit is revised upwards, the companies will also be encouraged to hike the allowance.”
Government is expected to reconsider the 80D limits for health insurance premiums under the IT Act and further reduce the GST for health insurance premiums especially for retail policies. We would also like to see if the government can make health insurance mandatory either through membership of Government schemes or policy from a commercial insurer. This will help achieve a goal of universal health.
2018 saw many disasters across the world and in India. Due to the unusually high rainfall during monsoon season, Kerala witnessed the worst floods in August that killed over 400 people and many more missing. Chengannur and Thrissur were the worst hit places in the state. A total of 2,923 houses were completely damaged in the floods.
Because of such uncertainties, the government should make home insurance compulsory and incentivize home buyers by providing income tax benefits for the premium paid towards a policy. This will not only ensure protection against financial loss for customers but also aid in deepening insurance penetration in the country.
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