Kerala High Court orders six-week review of NORKA Care premium complaint

Department must hear affected policyholders

Pravasi Legal Cell (PLC) brought the petition with two beneficiaries already insured under NORKA Care, Musthafa Thondiyil and Abdul Hakeem KK. The case is W.P.(C) No. 38075 of 2026.

PLC Dubai President TN Krishnakumar said the court directed the NORKA Department Secretary to review the group's representation and give the petitioners and other affected parties a hearing before issuing an order consistent with the law. The deadline starts when the department receives a certified copy of the judgment.

Higher prices for the same family coverage

At the center of the dispute is the replacement of a common group premium with age-based rates. A family paid Rs 13,411 annually for Rs 5 lakh in health coverage in 2025–26. For that same coverage, the revised annual premium is Rs 35,664 in the 51–60 age bracket and Rs 44,718 in the 61–70 bracket, increases of about 166 percent and 233 percent, respectively.

Onmanorama and The Wire also report a general-category premium of Rs 21,960 for the Rs 5 lakh family floater, up from Rs 13,411. The premium for the 71–80 age bracket is Rs 77,773.

PLC says the changes amount to more than a routine yearly adjustment. It argues that middle-aged and older expatriates face a disproportionate burden, even though the basic family coverage remains Rs 5 lakh, and that many rely on the scheme to maintain medical protection.

Government cites claims costs and expanded eligibility

Defending the increase in the Legislative Assembly on October 29, 2026, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan said it was necessary to keep NORKA Care operating. He put premium collections at about Rs 145 crore and claims at nearly Rs 210 crore across around 1.3 lakh members. He said roughly 80 percent of claims came from cancer patients ages 40–70, citing about Rs 120 crore for those claims.

The government changed insurers for 2026–27, moving from New India Assurance to National Insurance Company after New India declined to quote under the previous terms. Satheesan said New India had sought a Rs 300 crore advance, which the government refused.

The restructured scheme offers coverage options from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 1 crore. It also expands the entry-age range from 18–70 to 18–110 and permits policyholders to include parents or parents-in-law.

Concerns over notice and continuity of care

The complaint also challenges a shorter period of post-hospitalization coverage: the new policy covers 30 days after discharge rather than the previous 60.

PLC says the earlier insurance arrangement required at least 45 days' notice before renewal. The revised premiums, however, were officially announced on October 28, 2026, before the old policy expired on October 31 and the new policy period started on November 1. The group says members had little opportunity to assess the terms, find the money for renewal or consider alternatives.

Continuity is a particular concern for beneficiaries with pre-existing medical conditions. According to The Wire, NORKA Care's inclusion of people with such conditions from its launch in 2025 helped attract migrants who have difficulty obtaining affordable private insurance.

PLC wants existing beneficiaries to keep uninterrupted coverage and continuity benefits, including protection for pre-existing conditions. It has requested withdrawal of the revised pricing and restoration of the group-based arrangement during the transition. It also wants NORKA to release the actuarial calculations, claims ratio, claims history, insurer quotations and methodology behind the age-based premiums.

Krishnakumar said the court's direction gives expatriates an opportunity to put their concerns before the department. "The main concern is affordability. A health insurance scheme introduced for the welfare of Pravasis should not become too expensive for middle-aged and senior expatriates, who need continuous medical protection the most," he said.

Opposition extends across political groups

The pricing dispute has also reached the Assembly and the streets. CPI legislator K.K. Valsaraj raised the issue through an adjournment motion on October 29, 2026, the same day the CPI-affiliated Pravasi Federation marched to the Secretariat. CPM Rajya Sabha member V. Sivadasan and Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan have called for the increase to be withdrawn.

Calls for relief have come from government supporters as well. K. Zainul Abideen, national vice president of the Indian Union Muslim League, a key party in the ruling UDF coalition, formally asked Satheesan to provide an immediate state subsidy or restructure the rates. According to Mathrubhumi English, pro-government expatriate organizations INCAS Dubai and Muscat KMCC also demanded a swift rollback.

Onmanorama reports that NORKA Care enrolls more than 1.32 lakh Non-Resident Keralite families, covering more than 5 lakh family members. Another 95,580 families are enrolled in NORKA Care Plus; the reported combined total is 2,27,614 families paying premiums.