Corporate India employees see the rising healthcare costs as a major worry, according to a new survey by Tata AIG General Insurance.
The survey “The Corporate Health Protection Pulse 2026” released on 10 August 2026 found that
that nearly 75% of the participating respondents agree that their employer-provided cover alone would prove inadequate in the event of an emergency hospitalisation. Also, the survey revealed a sharp mismatch between awareness and action across corporate India. The survey elicited responses from 748 respondents.
The study found that rising healthcare costs have emerged as one of the foremost concerns for corporate employees, surpassing concerns about job security, EMI obligations, global instability among other concerns. An unexpected hospital bill has become a bigger threat.
The study found that a staggering 94% of respondents admitted that unexpected medical expenses trigger acute financial stress, far overshadowing concerns around career stagnation or layoffs.
The fear is further compounded by a widespread lack of financial resilience: nearly 7 out of 10 employees said they could survive for six months or less on their current savings if they lost their job. Only 12% believed their safety net could sustain them for more than a year.
While 84% of respondents acknowledged the importance of holding personal health coverage alongside their employer-provided Group Medical Cover (GMC), nearly half — 45% — rely exclusively on their company plan.
A lack of awareness and a pervasive "will buy later" attitude were cited as the chief barriers preventing employees, particularly those in the 28-34 age bracket, from securing individual policies.
This protection gap becomes especially perilous during career shifts. Healthcare costs were identified as the single largest financial worry during job transitions, outranking lost income and EMI commitments. Although 88% of workers said uninterrupted health coverage during a job change is critical, only 40% were aware of insurance solutions that maintain continuous medical cover between jobs.
Nearly 75% of respondents agreed that their employer-provided cover alone would prove inadequate in the event of an emergency hospitalisation. Moreover, only 41% reported being fully aware of the specific features and benefits included in their company plan.
When evaluating secondary top-up policies, respondents pointed to family protection as the primary driver, prioritising higher sums insured, coverage for dependents, and portable protection during career transitions.
Tata AIG General Insurance Head of Retail Health Underwriting Santosh Puri said, “While Group Medical Cover remains an important pillar of employee wellbeing, the findings show that many individuals are still uncertain about the extent of their coverage and whether it would be adequate during a medical emergency or a job transition."
"As healthcare costs continue to rise, we believe awareness and financial preparedness will become increasingly important.”
The survey evaluated 748 corporate employees aged 28 to 55 across eight major urban hubs and all participants were currently covered under an employer-provided group medical insurance policy.