Book Description

The present study is a critical evaluation of the service quality of Health Insurance services provided by different companies in India. The sector was previously dominated by Public sector companies. sector the started developing after liberalisation slowly and gradually. However since the last ten years the total number of players in the market has been increasing as there is a huge market potentiality in the health insurance sector in India. Indian insurance service providers are still believe that they have monopoly in the market Due to lethargic efforts in retaining consumers, clumsy procedure and complex process of claim after discharge from the hospital the consumers are led to select private insurance companies. Service quality of the health sector helps the service providers to improve their policies, procedures and plans to make their organisation customer centric. In the business of health insurance there is a very high level of brand migration as well as brand dilution. This study helps the insurers to know the factors which highly influence the consumers. The process of obtaining health insurance is easy but at the time of making claim the consumers find themselves in a difficult situation as they are not aware about the precise procedures for obtaining claim. The role of the agent as well as third party administrator is also under critical evaluation of the present study. This leads todevelopment of a new policy for the intermediaries of the health Insurance Sector. Service quality of the health Insurance company is evaluated on the basis of the promptness, sensitivity and empathy of the employee to serve the consumers. This provides insight towards the service delivery as well as the improvement in the behaviour of the company's employees to deal with consumers. Health insurance is considered to be an additional cost. However, the penetration level of health insurance can be enhanced with the development of nation and its economy. The present study suggests that the present health insurance consumer is information savvy and well aware in the mega city of Ahmedabad. The level of confidence in the brand is highly affected amongst the respondents surveyed and longevity in the market as well as government ownership of the insurance company are major factors for creating confidence in the insurance provider. Tangibility aspects are not upto the expectation or as per perceived quality. However, communication aspects of the insurance company, agent and third-party administrator are playing important role in creating transparency. Insurance agents play a very important and pivotal role in creating awareness about health insurance requirements as well in creating confidence through providing support to the existing consumers at the time of filing claim Health insurance companies need to develop flexible products as per needs of particular class of consumers. In the coming days service providers need to develop organisation with right type of technology which creates transparency, speed and reliability at each stage of health insurance.