Personal health data is invaluable to insurers

Personal health data is invaluable to insurers, and they’re getting creative in their quest for it

India’s health insurers are waking up to the data revolution

Data of more than 450 million lives that are currently covered in India is up for grabs

And insurers are getting creative in their attempts to mine this. Fitbits, gym activity, diagnostics results are all fair game

All this data, they hope, will help them price premiums more effectively. But questions about privacy and quality of data abound

That trendy fitness band. Your last food order from your smartphone. Both innocuous parts of everyday living. But these could soon have a very significant bearing on your life and wallet in a way you may never have imagined—the cost of your health insurance. Yes, in a twist that seems straight out of the Sci-Fi TV series Black Mirror, your insurance premiums could be directly affected by data you would otherwise consider private and unrelated.

As Orwellian as this may sound, it comes in response to a very basic reality.

AUTHOR

Salman SH

Salman has around four years of experience reporting primarily on consumer internet, startups, and the telecom sector. Previously, he worked with the financial newspaper Mint, reporting on startups and consumer internet trends. Prior to this, he worked with MediaNama and NextBigWhat. At The Ken, Salman will look at startups, technology trends, and the government policies shaping up around them. Loud metal, moshpits, and local gigs are he what he lives for.

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