The Lok Sabha on December 08, 2025, proposed Insurance (Amendment) Bill, 2025. The Bill expands definitions in Section 2 by inserting new terms—“health insurance premium” and “senior citizen”, with differentiated age thresholds (60 years for men and 58 years for women). These amendments seek to create a clearer statutory basis for regulating senior citizen health insurance products.
The Bill introduces a new Part IVB into the principal Act, laying down mandatory regulatory requirements for insurers offering health insurance plans to senior citizens. It mandates age-sensitive and graded premiums that reflect financial vulnerability, compulsory coverage of common geriatric conditions and pre-existing diseases after a waiting period not exceeding one year, and places a cap on premium increases—no more than 5% annually without prior approval of the Authority (IRDAI). A significant reform is the statutory right of portability for senior citizens, allowing them to shift insurers without loss of accrued benefits or additional waiting periods.
Further, the Bill empowers the Authority (IRDAI) to monitor compliance, issue guidelines, and impose penalties for violations. Insurers engaged in health insurance business must submit annual reports detailing premium structures, claims processing performance, and measures adopted to ensure fairness for senior citizens. These changes aim to improve transparency, affordability, and accessibility of health insurance for an ageing population.
[Bill No. 46 of 2025]
