A comprehensive guide on TPA in health insurance
A TPA in health insurance stands for Third-Party Administrator. It is an entity that manages and administers health insurance policies on behalf of insurance providers. The primary role of TPAs is that they make the process of claiming health insurance easier.
This way, you do not need to stress about managing the claim process in the case of medical emergencies. On Bajaj Markets, get a health insurance plan with affordable premiums and file your claims hassle-free.
TPAs act as intermediaries between you and the insurance company. It provides assistance in claiming benefits and managing insurance claims. When you get admitted to a network hospital, in the case of a cashless facility, the hospital will send the treatment details to TPA.
After TPA verifies your eligibility and coverage of the policy, it issues a pre-authorisation to the hospital. You can get your treatment without having to pay any upfront costs. However, know that this is applicable only if you meet the required eligibility parameters and other details.
Likewise, when you opt for services at non-network hospitals, you have to make upfront payments at the time of discharge. Once you submit original documents, such as your receipts, medical bills, and other paperwork, the TPA forwards the same to the insurer.
Once the insurance company approves your claim, TPA credits the amount to your bank account. Remember, TPA scrutinises all your documents thoroughly before sending them to the insurer.
Third-party administrators in medical insurance offer numerous benefits. Here are some of the advantages you need to know about:
You can claim insurance benefits conveniently with the help of TPAs, who efficiently save you time and effort
TPAs guide you about your policy features, hospital networks, and covered medical facilities
TPAs connect with network hospitals and insurers during cashless hospitalisation for direct payments
TPAs keep a record of all expenses related to your treatment to make the claims process seamless
TPAs play an essential role in your health insurance claim process. Here are some of their primary roles:
TPAs help in direct bill payments by coordinating between insurance companies and hospitals
TPAs act as an intermediary between you and the insurer to make the health insurance claim process streamlined
Many TPAs offer support via call centres and mobile apps to ensure you can easily raise queries and get assistance quickly
TPAs maintain essential records of your treatments, hospitalisation bills, medicine bills, and more
Some TPAs offer additional services such as ambulance services, extra beds, and medicine supplies
As mentioned, the central role of TPAs is to facilitate the process of health insurance claims. Here is how they prove to be helpful:
TPAs guide you through a step-by-step process, making it easy for you to claim your health insurance
TPAs assist you in filing claims by ensuring you complete all requirements, such as paperwork, accurately
After filing the claim, TPAs verify everything to ensure you receive all benefits that you are eligible for
TPAs issue ID cards and unique identification numbers to make cashless settlements easier
Insurance companies also have specialised departments to facilitate the claim settlement process. These are known as Health Administration Teams (HATs). Refer to the following table to understand how TPAs and insurance companies differ in this context:
Basis of Difference |
Health Administration Teams (HATs) of Insurance Companies |
Third-Party Administrators (TPAs) |
Primary Role |
The dedicated department of insurance companies facilitates claim settlements, manages network hospitals, etc. |
TPAs are external service providers that assist with claims, ID generation, documentation, etc. |
Claims Settlement |
Claims are settled faster since there is an in-house process, and claims are to be made internally. |
TPAs face slower processing times because they do not have the authority to directly accept or reject claims and depend on insurers. |
Type |
HATs of insurance companies can only work for the same insurance company |
TPAs can settle claims for multiple insurance companies |
You enjoy the flexibility of cancelling the services of an existing TPA. You can also switch to another TPA. Here are the steps you need to follow to cancel TPA in health insurance:
Contact the insurance company via phone or email
Provide the details of your health insurance plan and unique ID (UID)
Describe the reason for cancelling the TPA
Upon approval from the insurer, you can choose another TPA from the available TPAs
You can check the list of the TPAs for your health insurance provider by visiting their official website or checking your health insurance card.
Third Party Administrators deal with the following main types of health insurance claims – (i) Cashless claims and (ii) Reimbursement claims.
Yes, a particular TPA can be cancelled by your health insurance provider or de-licensed by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI).
Yes, the role of TPA in health insurance is that they provide customer support through their 24x7 toll-free helpline number.
Usually, the insurance companies allow the customer i.e., policyholder to choose their Third Party Administrator (TPA) from a list of TPAs that are registered with them. These TPAs work as the intermediary between the insured individual and the company providing insurance. The TPA selected by the policyholder will then take charge of the claim settlement process of the insured, and not the insurance company itself.
Yes, it is possible for a single TPA i.e., Third Party Administrator to be affiliated with more than one insurance company at the same time.
No, every health insurance company does not necessarily have a TPA.
Yes, you can choose a TPA that has been registered with the insurance provider. This can be done at the time of purchasing or renewing your insurance plan. If this is not done by your own, your insurance provider will then choose the one that best fits your needs.
No, TPA is not mandatory for health insurance policies.
Yes, a TPA can help in reducing the number of fake claims.