The Healthcare Landscape for Indian corporate isn't just shifting. It is shaking. As HR leaders, you have spend years negotiating group health policies, squeezing premiums and crossing fingers during renewal seasons.
Despite your best intentions, most traditional insurance plans still leave your employees feeling undercovered, frustrated and unheared. And you are stuck cleaning up the mess. 86% of the time is eaten up by benefit administration, chasing approvals, clarifying rejections, and managing employees complaints.
Sounds familiar?
Now here is the real concerns, over 130 essential dental and dermatological treatments are outright excluded from traditional insurance plans in India. Yes 130+.
So what does this mean on the ground?
- 92% of employees say their current benefits don't meet their real needs.
- 88% of the claims are rejected, mostly because of exclusions many of which involve dental and skin related conditions.
- Untreated oral and skin issues leads to a 24% drop in workplace productivity, not to mention morale dips and increased sick days.
- Companies with poor healthcare offerings face a 27% higher attrition rate than those with competitive holistic wellness plans.
We have been led to believe that corporate group health insurance is comprehensive. That waiting 2-3 years for a root canal or achne treatment claims is normal. That dental and dermatological care is a, "Nice-to-have." But here is the truth, these aren't cosmetic perks. They are critical to employee wellbeing and performance.
Enter IDDA (Indian Dental & Derma Assurance) It is a game-changer in the making. Instead of forcing employees to navigate exclusions, co-pays and arbitary waiting periods.
IDDA flips the model. Think of receiving partial reimbursements for real-world treatments. Simplified digital workflows.Transparent pricing. And most importantly actual care where it matters. We are talking about measurable ROI. Happier employees. Lighter admin load. Lower churn. Higher brand equity. So with all this where do we go?
We dig deeper. We map the problem to real solutions. And we start building a benefits model that actually works for everyone.
Let us dive in...
1. Is Your Health Insurance Ghosting Your Team?
(They are struggling. And your policy is stuck in 1997)
Traditional group health insurance in India was never built to handle the real world healthcare needs. It was designed decades ago with hospitalisation in mind.Surgeries. Emergencies. And inpatient stays. But here is the problem, over 65% of health issues employees actually face never even reach the threshold for hospitalization.
a. The "Nope, Not Covered" List
You know the stuff employees actually need like cleanings, acne care, and the molar that is killing Raj from sales? Yeah, all off the table.
Most group corporate health insurance policies in India explicitly exclude...
- Dental treatments (other than surgery due to accidents)
- Skin conditions like acne, psoriasis, enzema, fungal infections
- Preventive care including cleaning, filling and gum therapy
- Cosmetic dermatology which often isn't cosmetic at all
Fact Check: As per IRDAI guidelines and a comparative analysis of major Indian insurers (ICICI Lombard, HDFC Ergo, Star Health), dental and dermatology procedures are either capped at ₹500–₹1000 or entirely excluded, unless resulting from accidental injury.
Source: IRDAI Health Insurance Regulations, 2022; Policy PDFs from leading insurers
Now imagine being a 28-year-old software engineer dealing with recurring acne flare-ups that affect your confidence during presentations. Or a 45-year-old team lead silently enduring a decaying molar because the ₹13,000 root canal is “not covered.” These aren’t vanity issues. They directly impact self-esteem, focus, and attendance.
b. Low Coverage = Low Morale = Lost Hours
When skin and dental issues get ignored, so do deadlines. And guess who gets the complaints when people quit?
(Hint: Not the insurer)
A study by the Indian Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine found that 48% of employees with untreated dental problems reported decreased productivity, while 30% took sick leave due to preventable skin issues.
A study by the Indian Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine found that 48% of employees with untreated dental problems reported decreased productivity, while 30% took sick leave due to preventable skin issues.
When you multiply that across a 4,500-employee company like TechSolutions India, that is hundreds of lost work hours and a demoralized workforce and guess who hears about it in exit interviews? Yep, you.
C. IDDA to the Rescue: Real Coverage. Real Fast.
No two-year waits. No fine print games. Just 130+ dental and derma treatments reimbursed after 30 days. Right into your company’s account. Boom.
Here is where IDDA rewrites the rules. Instead of waiting 2 years for limited coverage (that barely scratches the surface), IDDA offers...
- Reimbursement on all dental and derma treatment after 30 days direct into the corporate bank account.
- Coverage for 130+ treatments across dental and dermatological categories
- Preventive + aesthetic + medical care all are reimbursed
- Real-time tracking of Invoices and reimbursement utilization through a digital dashboard
Now imagine, a Mumbai-based dental equipment company with 200 employees integrated IDDA alongside its corporate employees group insurance. Within 6 months they noticed…
- 72% utilization rate across dental and derma benefits
- 2.4x increase in employee satisfaction with healthcare benefits
- 18% reduction in sick-day absenteeism
And all of this without touching their core insurance premiums. IDDA works with your existing plan, not against it.
IDDA membership fees just ask for Rs 599/year for Individual plan, Rs 899/year for family cover and Rs 4999/year for pro plan that covers your high end executives and associates.
Want to go deeper?
Discover how IDDA covers what traditional insurance doesn’t.
Let us schedule a benefits mapping session customized to your company’s current coverage.
2. Is Your HR Team Moonlighting as a Claims Department?
(Because managing benefits shouldn’t feel like running a mini hospital.)
Group health insurance plans should make life easier. But instead? It feels like you are running a mini hospital help desk out of HR.
a. Endless Claims. Confused Employees. And One Overwhelmed HR Inbox.
Sound familiar? You are not alone.
Do you resonate with this?
- A manager pings you about a rejected dental claim.
- Someone else wants to know what “periodontal disease” means and why it’s “not reimbursable.”
- Meanwhile, you are drowning in Excel trackers, scanned bills, and "please escalate" follow-ups from TPA helplines.
Around 86% of HR's time on benefits goes into just managing claims, clarifying policies, and responding to employee queries.Time that should be spent on strategic initiatives like workforce planning, engagement, and leadership development.
b. Manual Processes Are Eating Your Week Alive
And your team’s strategic impact with it.
A report by SHRM India (2023) revealed that HR departments lose an average of 9 hours per week per 100 employees on healthcare benefits-related admin tasks.
For a company of 4,500? That is 405 hours a week. Or 10 full-time days gone to non-strategic admin work. But it is not just about the time. It is also about the confusion that is created.
- Opaque policies. Most employees don’t know what is covered and neither do HR
- Fragmented systems. Claims via email. Approvals via WhatsApp. Reports via third-party dashboards. Good luck stitching that into a story for leadership.
- No real-time insights. You can’t track utilization or claim turnaround in real-time. Everything is reactive.
3. How IDDA Puts Benefits on Autopilot
Less Admin. More Impact. All Digital.
Here is where things start to feel lighter. IDDA’s model is built for people-first and process-smart HR teams. Our platform does the heavy lifting with…
a. Digital-First Claim Submission
Forget paperwork. Forget TPA delays. Here is what happens with IDDA…
- The doctor uploads the invoice directly into the IDDA health tech system right from their desk.
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No middlemen. No missing fields. You get clean, verified invoices from the source.
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After 30 days, IDDA transfers the eligible reimbursement portion back to your corporate bank account.
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So when it is time to reimburse your employee, you are not covering the full amount. Because for part of it IDDA has covered you.
For Example:
Invoice: ₹10,000. IDDA reimburses: ₹2,500. You reimburse the employee: ₹7,500. Net company spend: ₹7,500 and not ₹10,000. Result? You save budget without compromising employee benefits. It is smart, seamless, and built to scale.
b. Automated approvals
Claims are processed instantly based on the treatment type and your selected membership plan. Whether it is for individuals, families, or corporate teams. No manual vetting. No bottlenecks.
c. Transparent dashboard
Get a real-time view of exactly how much was claimed, reimbursed, or is still pending by employee, team, or department. No guessing games.
d. Zero paperwork
No chasing TPAs. No forms. No helpline holds music. Just simple, seamless digital claims with full visibility and control. Take for example our Pune-based IT services firm integrated IDDA for its 1,200 employees. The HR team reported...
- 43% reduction in time spent on benefit-related queries
- 61% drop in unresolved employee complaints
- 100% digital claims with zero paperwork
And this isn’t just convenience. It is capacity reclaimed. That many hours you can now redirect toward building the leadership pipeline. Advancing DEI goals. Or rolling out that L&D framework that has been sitting in draft for six months.
See how IDDA can reduce your administrative workload by 40%.
Let us walk through your current process and show you exactly where time and effort can be saved.
3. Are Your Best People Leaving Because of Bad Benefits?
Hint: It is not about the salary, it is about feeling unseen.
Let us step back and think beyond spreadsheets for a second.
When an employee walks into your office, frustrated over yet another denied skin treatment claim, what they are really saying isn’t just “this isn’t covered.” What they are telling you is: “My employer doesn’t care about what I actually need.”
And that perception? It snowballs fast from dissatisfaction to disengagement to resignation. We have seen it play out, over and over again.
a. When “Covered by Policy” Doesn’t Mean “Taken Care Of”
Because no one gets excited about a policy that ignores their real problems.
Yes, most of our policies tick the regulatory boxes inpatient hospitalization, maternity, pre-post expenses. But the real everyday issues that bother employees aren’t covered...
- The recurring gum inflammation that needs ₹4,000/month in cleanings
- The cystic acne treatments that require ₹12,000+ across sessions
- The braces or implants that are considered “cosmetic,” but affect mental health and confidence
According to a 2024 Willis Towers Watson India Health Report…
- 92% of employees believe their current corporate health insurance is “inadequate for their real needs”
- 67% say they have avoided necessary treatment because of coverage limitations
- 1 in 3 say lack of benefits was a key reason for exploring new job offers
And we already know that Companies with poor benefits face 27% higher attrition. That is a bottom-line problem not just an HR headache.
b. Benefits They will Actually Use And Thank You For
Because when healthcare feels human, loyalty follows naturally.
What happens when you offer employees exactly what they have been asking for? You get buy-in. You get gratitude.You get better glassdoor reviews.You get retention.
IDDA membership plan put your employees first with...
- No long waiting periods for claims
- Coverage for essential dental treatments which are excluded from corporate group employees wellness plans. Such as fillings, root canals, peels, fungal infections, etc.
- Simple and easy reimbursements that feel like a consumer experience
Employee Impact Story (Tech startup,Mumbai):
Swati, a UI/UX designer, had postponed a ₹19,000 acne treatment for over a year. After her company onboarded IDDA, she completed it over 3 sessions and got each session reimbursed.
She reported…
- Increased confidence in client presentations
- Improved attendance
- Rated HR “10/10” on internal post-benefits survey
This is what she says…
“For the first time, I felt like our HR actually gets it.”
— Swati
C. Proof That Real Benefits Build Real Culture
From eNPS jumps to "finally feeling heard"it is all in the data
- 78% of employees used their dental/derma benefit within the first 6 months
- 92% satisfaction with reimbursement turnaround time
- 21% increase in eNPS (employee net promoter score) across participating teams
This isn't just about healthcare. It is about loyalty, trust and culture.
Learn how IDDA can boost your employee satisfaction scores.
Let us review your latest employee survey data and see how IDDA could help you turn the tide.
4. Paying More. Covering Less. Sound Familiar?
Your premiums are growing. Your coverage? Not so much.
So here is the hard truth every HR leader in India is facing right now...
We are paying 25% more year-on-year for health insurance and getting less every time.
a.Your Insurance Went Premium. Your Benefits Went Missing
And now you’re left explaining the exclusions again
Can you relate with this?
- ₹3 lakh cover jumped to ₹5 lakh in 2024, but somehow employees are still footing ₹20K for a root canal.
- Pre-approvals take longer.
- Claim waiting periods are long.
- Exclusions list? Longer still.
And you are the ones stuck justifying these limitations to employees while fighting premium hikes from insurers. It is not sustainable.
b.The Healthcare Cost Spiral Is Real And You are Stuck in It
Hospital bills go up. Policies tighten. And somehow skin treatments are still “not covered.”
According to Mercer India (2024), group healthcare plans premiums have grown 25–30% CAGR post-COVID, primarily due to...
- Higher hospitalization costs
- Expanded diagnostics post-pandemic
- Insurers passing risk back to employers through stricter exclusions
Meanwhile, dental and derma care account for nearly 37% of all outpatient health spend, as per a KPMG India Health Outlay Report (2023). And yet, traditional group insurance covers less than 2% of that spend.
That is the mismatch you are paying for, high premiums for hospitalization risk, zero support for daily healthcare needs.
c. Smart HRs Don’t Just Cut Costs They Redirect Them
With IDDA, you are not just spending, you are solving the right problems.
For higher retention and to keep your employees satisfied and happy, incorporate IDDA’s Reimbursement Model at your workplace.
Why? Because this isn’t just about adding another benefit it is about covering what truly matters but rarely gets covered. Dental care. Skin health. Everyday essentials that impact confidence, comfort, and productivity.
With IDDA, you are not just spending
- You are investing.
- You are preventing bigger costs down the line.
- You are delivering visible, usable value to every employee.
Now that is a benefit decision your CFO, your CEO, and your entire workforce can get behind.
Ready to make the smarter spend? Let’s talk.
Still Building a 2025 Workforce on a 1990s Insurance Model?
If your health benefits are stuck in the past,
your talent won’t stick around for the future.
Are you juggling with these issues…
- Rising premiums (25% CAGR)
- Growing employee dissatisfaction ( 92% feel benefits are inadequate)
- A benefits structure that doesn’t touch daily health needs like dental and skin care
- And let us not forget your own admin burden that consumes 86% of your time
And yet, you are expected to be the architect of an irresistible employee experience, a talent magnet, and a cost optimizer all at once. Traditional health insurance alone isn’t built for that. But with IDDA, you are no longer choosing between cost and care. You are choosing smarter coverage, systems, and satisfaction.
Meet the Upgrade Your Benefits Strategy Has Been Begging For
Rising premiums. Overwhelmed HR. Frustrated employees. Ignored daily care.
IDDA fixes what traditional insurance forgets with smarter cover, smooth reimbursements, and care your people actually use.
- Real help for real health problems. Like skin issues and toothaches that most health plans ignore. We cover them.
- Money back into corporate reserves for treatments employees that actually take based on your membership plan.
- Less office work because everything is digital and easy. So HR teams don’t waste time on forms and phone calls.
- Smart spending that preserves your reserves and also helps you to keep employees healthy and happy.
This isn’t a fringe add-on. It is the next-gen foundation of employee wellness in India. And it is already working across IT, BFSI, BPO, and product companies just like yours.
Ready to Future-Proof Your Healthcare Benefits?
If you are done firefighting with limited tools, and you are ready to build a benefits strategy that actually reflects the expectations of a modern workforce then let’s talk. Book your IDDA strategy session today.
We Don’t Think Skin and Teeth Should Be Treated Like Afterthoughts
Because confidence isn’t optional and neither is real care.
Our vision isn’t rocket science. We just believe dental and skin care shouldn’t be treated like side gigs in the healthcare world.They are not “just cosmetic.” They are real needs. With real impact. On confidence, presence, and performance.
That is why we are not tossing in a few token treatments. We are covering 130 and counting. Because if a treatment exists, it is because the problem does too. Period.
And let us be honest… if home remedies actually worked, we wouldn’t need dermatologists or dentists in the first place, right?
This Isn’t “Just Cosmetic.” It is about good health. It is about quality of life. It is What We Actually Need.
We cover 130+ treatments (and counting) because if there is a name for the problem, there should be a plan to fix it. Ditch the DIY remedies. Let your employees get the care they have been putting off for years.
Here is how IDDA flipping script...
- No premiums. Just one low-cost membership.
- Up to ₹60,000 in reimbursements per employee (yes, really).
- Plans for individuals and families (because health doesn’t stop at the office door).
- Monthly and long-term support from cleanings to braces to acne treatments.
- Starting at just ₹599/year.
No paperwork. No nonsense. Just real care, made simple.
What do you think? Should dental and derma finally get their seat at the health benefits table?
Drop your thoughts in the comments. We actually read them. Share this post with someone in HR who is tired of fighting for real benefits. Let us stop the “benefits gap” conversation and start fixing it.
Got questions? Ping us at +91-7710001004 we are just a call or message away. Prefer typing? Drop us a line at contact@iddassurance.com. Or hey, if you are in the mood for coffee and conversation, come visit us in Powai. (Need the address? Just ring us!)
Sources:
- Willis Towers Watson India Health & Benefits Survey (2024) – Insights on perceived benefit gaps
https://www.wtwco.com - Gallup State of the Workplace: India Edition (2023) – Engagement drops linked to perceived care from employers
- SHRM India HR Technology Report (2023) – Time spent on benefits administration https://www.shrm.org
- People Matters Study: “HR in the Age of Automation” (2023) – Manual vs. automated process burden https://www.peoplematters.in
- Mercer’s Employer Benchmarking Report (2024) – HR priorities & efficiency loss in traditional benefits
- IRDAI Health Insurance Regulations (2022) – https://irdai.gov.in
- HDFC Ergo Policy Wordings - Group Health – HDFC Policy Docs
- Indian Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Vol 26 Issue 1 (2022) – Study on productivity loss from untreated conditions
- FICCI Healthcare Report (2023): India’s Wellness Landscape – ficci.in
- Mercer Marsh Benefits Survey (2024): Benefits Trends in India – Peer benchmark data on coverage gaps and innovation