Health Insurance in India

Hi. I am an American citizen with OCI status. This means I am not an Indian citizen, but can legally obtain most kinds of employment in India and stay there as long as I want. I will be relocating from the USA to Mumbai in June 2012 and staying for many years. Undoubtedly, I will be seeking full-time employment.

Do some Indian employers offer Health Insurance, like many employers in the USA?

In India, do people buy their own health insurance policies? Is health insurance available for purchase to non-citizens of India? Is health insurance affordable, or do people in India just risk going without it?

Thanks.

Yes they do. there's an employer contribution and there's an employee contribution. For added cover, you can indicate to your employer that you'd like to up that portion and the deductions go up accordingly.

Yes.

No idea, someone else will come along who's not a citizen.

It is affordable and yet people risk it, taking a chance.

Yes it is, anyone who has resident status is able to purchase a commercial policy. It's (by international standards) dirt cheap but check what you get in terms of coverage (amounts). Also, these policies will only be valid in India. Caveat: I don't have such a policy so can't tell you how good it works in practice. Most expats I know have some type of international policy (which is extremely expensive by comparison but typically covers everything, including medevac flights etc).