Increase income cap for getting enrolled under CMCHIS, HC tells T.N. govt

‘Fixation of ₹72,000 per annum makes the entire insurance cover a farce’

The Madras High Court on Monday suggested that the income cap of ₹72,000 per annum for a family to get enrolled under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS) can be increased substantially so that more people can get enrolled under the scheme and benefit from the insurance cover provided to major ailments including COVID-19 treatment at empanelled private hospitals. Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy made the suggestion during the hearing of a public interest litigation petition filed by advocate D.I. Nathan complaining about exorbitant charges collected by some private hospitals from COVID-19 patients. Advocate N.G.R. Prasad insisted that the income threshold for getting enrolled under CMCHIS should be increased to ₹2 lakh per annum. He told the court that the fixation of ₹72,000 per annum was less than the minimum wages fixed by law and it makes the entire insurance cover “a farce” since a majority of the families would become ineligible to get enrolled under the scheme. Despite finding force in his submissions, the judges said the court could not issue a positive direction on the issue since it was a matter of policy of the State.