Health insurance failures: Police associations slam Tata AIG for denied claims

Jharkhand police associations have raised strong objections to what they described as repeated failures by Tata AIG Insurance Company Pvt. Ltd. in honouring health insurance claims for police personnel, prompting a high-level review meeting chaired by DIG (Personnel) Surendra Kumar Jha at Police Headquarters on Monday.

The meeting brought together senior representatives of Tata AIG, Jharkhand Police Association, Police Men’s Association, and the Police Fourth Grade Employees Association. Their common grievance: the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the state government and Tata AIG is not translating into real-time benefits for police personnel hospitalized due to illness or injury.

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Union leaders from various associations – including Rahul Kumar Murmu (President, Jharkhand Police Association), Karn Kumar Singh (President, Police Men’s Association), and Balram Thakur (Provincial President, Fourth Grade Employees Union) – voiced dismay over the insurance provider’s alleged failure to provide promised cashless hospitalization services. “There are repeated delays and rejections. The company is failing to deliver on its end of the agreement,” said one of the senior union leaders present at the meet.

The core of the issue lies in the apparent gaps between the MoU commitments and the actual ground-level implementation. Representatives highlighted how, despite regular premium deductions, reimbursements or direct payments to hospitals are often delayed or denied altogether, forcing affected personnel to bear medical expenses out of pocket.

In response to the complaints, Amit Singh, Senior Manager at Tata AIG, acknowledged the issues and assured the gathering that the company is working to resolve them. “We are committed to removing the existing bottlenecks in the claim settlement process and will extend full cooperation going forward,” he said.

DIG Surendra Jha emphasized the seriousness of the matter, stating that the well-being of state police personnel cannot be compromised. He directed both the insurance provider and internal police representatives to ensure coordination and accountability so that the State Employees Health Insurance Scheme functions as intended.

Meanwhile, at the grassroots level, the human cost of these administrative failures continues to be felt. Several officers and constables have reportedly struggled to access timely medical care during emergencies due to unclear procedures or outright rejection of insurance claims – underscoring the need for urgent systemic correction.