NEW DELHI: Eighty per cent of persons with disabilities have no health insurance, and 53 per cent of those who apply face rejection, often without any explanation, according to a white paper released on Thursday.

The white paper, conducted by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), said that despite constitutional guarantees, directives issued by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), and the mandates of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (2016), persons with disabilities continue to encounter discriminatory underwriting practices, unaffordable premiums, inaccessible digital insurance platforms, and a widespread lack of awareness about available schemes.

The report said the findings highlight deep systemic inequities that continue to deny approximately 16 crore Indians with disabilities equitable access to both public and private health insurance.

“This whitepaper comes at a crucial moment. Even as the government expands Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY) to cover all senior citizens aged 70 and above, persons with disabilities remain conspicuously excluded despite facing equal, if not greater, health vulnerabilities. There is no principled or policy justification for this gap,” said Arman Ali, Executive Director, NCPEDP, as he unveiled the findings of the white paper, “Inclusive Health Coverage for All: Disability, Discrimination and Health Insurance in India.”

The NGO, which advocates for the rights of people with disabilities by focusing on policy, employment, accessibility, education and awareness, carried out a nationwide survey between 2023 and 2025 of over 5,000 persons with disabilities across 34 States and Union Territories.