Companies may be forced to curtail benefits extended to employees because of rising premium payments on corporate health insurance plans. Staff may also face restrictions on the choice of hospitals and on room rent besides having to share part of the claim burden under new co-pay clauses. About 60% of companies in a recent survey by ICICI Lombard expected insurance premium payments to rise 5-8% annually in the next five years. Last year, premiums for health insurance increased by about 9%, without any expansion in health care benefits, the survey said. “Premiums for employers’ health insurance policies have gone up by around 15% this year,” said Renuka Kanvinde, assistant vice-president, health insurance, Bajaj Allianz.

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