16-Feb-17 Thailand's universal healthcare scheme will not be closed down, Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn has said, after rumours of its planned cancellation. His remarks came after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha toyed with the idea of the public paying more for the scheme to reduce the government's healthcare burden. [image: Bangkok Post]

15-Feb-17 Medical insurers are seeing a surge in demand for private insurance that offers cross-border health cover. This market is growing by 15-25% per year, and could be worth as much as USD144 bn globally. The challenge for the insurance industry is identifying who might need a policy that covers international travel for medical treatment, and why. [image: AXA PPP International]

07-Feb-17 Singapore-based health technology startup CXA Group, which offers an employee benefits and wellness marketplace platform, has raised USD25 mn in Series B funding in a round led by B Capital Group and EDBI. The SaaS platform uses health screening, lifestyle risks, and data from claims and wearable sensors to predict future premium costs. [image: CXA Group]

20-Jan-17 Allianz announced it has partnered with telehealth startup Doctors on Demand to provide video consultation services as a value added provision for its policyholders in Australia. Policyholders will have access to complimentary video consultation and can request prescription services through the value added offering. [image: Insurance Business / iStock]

20-Jan-17 Poor spending on healthcare is a major concern in India, where most cannot afford private healthcare. India ranks abysmally low on public healthcare expenditure. The objective laid out in the National Health Policy to increase expenditure 1.04 per cent of GDP to 2.5 per cent by 2020, with 70 per cent for primary care, has been a welcome step. [image: Business Standard]