Mentally ill people find it hard to buy health insurance. Also with physical illnesses, this leaves them vulnerable. Many people with mental health problems would not reveal their illness, subsequently exposing themselves to rejection. One of the biggest challenges is that there are no explicit guidelines for mental illness coverage in insurance policy and insuring individuals with mental health concerns. The second, more complicated problem is the creation of goods that primarily cover the expense of outpatients (OPD) and caregivers. Many health providers cover hospitalization expenses, but in mental illness, these are relatively rare. Treatment is primarily offered on the basis of OPD. Sessions are costly since there are few specialized advisors, psychologists or therapists and it takes a long time for sessions to take place. A complete cycle of treatment will cost $10,000-20,000. 

In selling health insurance to people with mild, manageable conditions, insurers should be more open. They may create mental illness-specific products or add-ons. Most notably, insurers should consider building capacity and price this as a value-added treatment for mental health problems.

In India, mental illness, also known as mental health problems, has long been neglected and avoided. Nevertheless, there are big improvements happening now, with more individuals being transparent about it than they were in the past. This transition has also been expressed in the health insurance market. Until recently, only physical illnesses were protected by health insurance plans, which now often take psychiatric disorders or ailments into account. The Mental Healthcare Act announced in 2017 that any provider would have to make a provision for medical insurance to cover mental illness treatment, equivalent to the physical disease treatment available. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India ( IRDAI) made it compulsory in 2018 for insurance firms to provide mental illness care in their offerings and include mental illness coverage in Insurance policy.

Clients themselves are one of the biggest obstacles. It is difficult for people in this country to recognise and agree that they suffer from some form of mental disorder. Therefore, only a section of people who are conscious of their mental condition or have had a history come forward looking for a shield. It is high time that individuals use health insurance not only to obtain medical relief from physical conditions, but also from their mental illnesses.