Cost of heart failure care exposes gaps in financial protection

The growing burden of heart failure in India is bringing into focus a familiar but unresolved fault line in healthcare: the absence of adequate financial protection. Estimates suggest that only a fraction of patients dealing with the condition are covered by insurance, even as the cost of treatment continues to rise beyond the reach of many households.

Heart failure is not a one-time medical event. It demands sustained care, frequent hospital visits and long-term medication. Annual expenses can easily cross one lakh rupees, a figure that places considerable strain on families, particularly those without stable income or savings to fall back on.

The consequences are predictable. Patients delay treatment, cut back on medicines or rely on fragmented care, often leading to complications that require more intensive and expensive interventions later. What begins as a manageable condition can quickly escalate into a cycle of recurring hospitalisation and financial stress.

Insurance, in theory, should act as a buffer. In practice, limited coverage, exclusions and low penetration dilute its effectiveness. Public schemes have expanded access in recent years, but gaps remain in outpatient care, chronic disease management and continuity of treatment.

The issue is not confined to heart failure alone. It reflects a broader challenge in India’s healthcare system, where the shift towards non-communicable diseases is not matched by corresponding financial safeguards. As life expectancy rises and disease patterns change, the demand for long-term care is set to grow.

Addressing this will require more than incremental policy adjustments. Expanding coverage, improving the design of insurance products and strengthening public provisioning are all part of the answer. Without these, the cost of care will continue to fall disproportionately on those least equipped to bear it.