Maharashtra Health Minister Prakash Abitkar on Tuesday directed health insurance companies and hospitals to keep policyholders at the centre of their services, while assuring that the state government will examine complaints received from insured patients. He was speaking at a joint meeting held at Mantralaya in Mumbai with representatives of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), private insurance companies, and private hospitals to discuss issues related to delays in claim approvals and allegedly excessive medical billing by hospitals.

Abitkar said the government had received several complaints from policyholders regarding difficulties in obtaining claim approvals from insurance companies and the high medical bills charged by private hospitals. The meeting was convened to establish a standard mechanism to address these concerns and ensure smoother coordination between insurers and hospitals.