When hospitals and insurers lock horns, patients pay the price

It’s a standoff that’s turning India’s healthcare ecosystem into a battlefield. On one side stand the hospitals, crying foul over unfair payouts. On the other, health insurers, crying foul over inflated bills. And caught in the crossfire? The patients — dutifully paying their premiums, only to find “cashless” care suddenly out of reach. The latest flashpoint came on September 12, when the Association of Healthcare Providers of India (AHPI) — a