Down 62% since the IPO, Star Health faces the Irdai test.
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Star Health Insurance, India's largest stand-alone health insurance company, has been under the regulator's radar for alleged violations in claim settlement. According to the insurance statistics handbook of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai), Star Health and Allied Insurance Co.
Ltd's claim ratio stood at 66.4% in 2023-24, meaning it paid out ₹66.5 towards claim settlements for every ₹100 premium collected. This is higher than that of other stand-alone health insurers, with a claim ratio of 63.6%, but lower than that of general and health insurers, whose ratio stood at 82.5%. Despite its dominant position, Star Health stock has struggled since its listing in December 2021, falling 62% to ₹353.
So, what’s impacting its performance? Let's break it down. Star is the second-largest company in the overall health market, with a market share of 13.9% (in 2023-24), behind New India Insurance (16.9%). While it ranks second in the overall health insurance segment, it leads among stand-alone players with a 59% market share, followed by Care Health.
Star's dominance stems from its stronghold in the retail health segment, where it holds a 33% share, over three times that of the second-largest Care Health (9.42%). With 760,000 agents—the second-largest network after Life Insurance Corporation of India—Star relies on its extensive distribution network, generating 82% of gross written premiums from individual agents. Star's strength in the retail segment can be gauged from its revenue mix, with 91.5% of revenue coming from retail, 7% from group insurance and the rest from personal accident (PA) and foreign and domestic medical policies.
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