India's first comprehensive health insurance scheme for the physically and mentally challenged, now run by The National Trust.
People with disabilities had been quietly denied health insurance for years, on the assumption that their condition meant higher costs. NIRAMAYA changed that, becoming the first comprehensive health insurance scheme for the disabled in India.
The Persons with Disabilities Act of 1995 had promised insurance and financial assistance, but more than a decade later the provision remained largely unimplemented. Where cover was offered at all, it came with unaffordable premiums and unacceptable terms. In 2005, OASiS began a campaign for insurance rights for the disabled, and what followed was a sequence of milestones.
The New India Assurance Company agreed to insure people with disabilities at standard premiums and terms. The first mentally challenged person in the country received Mediclaim with no extra premium or exclusions.
The Collector of Bhopal announced free health insurance through OASiS for all economically weaker disabled people in the district, with premiums paid by the administration.
A national group was set up to design an insurance framework for the disabled, including the Chief Commissioner Disability, commissioners from ten states, the Collector of Bhopal, and OASiS.
A sub committee worked with actuaries of life and general insurers and with IRDA, and a request for proposal was floated to insurance companies through the Chief Commissioner's office.
The National Trust, a Government of India body, launched the scheme and agreed to pay the annual premium for economically weaker mentally challenged citizens.
NIRAMAYA has since covered around four lakh beneficiaries and proved so valuable that it received the Times Social Impact Award in 2013. It stands as an example of a campaign by one organisation turning into national policy.
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