Expressing concern over slow growth in health insurance cover, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority on Monday mooted ways to allow consumers to switch over from one company to another for Mediclaim policies and prevent rejection of claim by insurers.

"We are exploring various options available to overcome the problem of repudiation of claims on grounds of pre-existing conditions," IRDA Chairman C S Rao said at a Ficci seminar in New Delhi.

There have been several instances when insurers rejected the claims of policyholders citing certain preconditions embedded in the policies.

The problem crops up when consumers knowingly or unknowingly do not disclose details on some of their illnesses or health problems, when they buy a Mediclaim policy.

Rao said another aspect being considered is devising a mechanism to enable 'portability of insurance' so that policyholder have the freedom to switch their policies from one insurer to another. This would ensure that the consumer get the best policy at the lowest premium rate.

"We hope to resolve these issues to the satisfaction of all concerned during the course of this year," Rao said.

Though the number of medical insurance policies sold increased from 7.53 million in 2001-02, to 10.28 million in 2003-04, Rao said: "There are still concerns on adequacy of

coverage, the type of covers and the manner in which the claims are processed."

Attributing inadequate data to slow growth, Rao said IRDA is firming up a methodology on collection of health data on an uniform basis and implement it after consulting insurers and third party administrators.