Meghalaya to float fresh tender for health insurance scheme

The Meghalaya government on Tuesday said it would float a fresh tender for the fourth phase of Megha Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS-4), as the premium demanded by the lowest bidder was too high.

As a result, the state government has put off the launch of the scheme to the third week of December. The scheme, which was to be launched in October, will benefit 8 lakh families.

"We will float a new tender, as the premium quoted by the lowest bidder, Bajaj Allianz, was too high and more than double the previous rate quoted for MHIS phase-3, at Rs 911 per household," Meghalaya's Health Secretary Pravin Bakshi said here.

Another reason for the delay is that the state government is working to converge the state health insurance scheme with 'Ayushman Bharat', the central government's flagship health insurance programme.

Of the eight insurance firms that participated in the tendering process, five qualified. However, the premium sought by the lowest bidder was too high at Rs 1,999 per household per year, Bakshi said.

Bakshi said that the premium at Rs 1,999 would cost the state government Rs 117 crore annually, whereas the Centre has mandated that the base premium should be Rs 1,050 per family per year, with an annual budget of Rs 65 crore.

--IANS

rrk/shs/vm