Niva Bupa Health Insurance has suspended cashless treatment facility options in all Max Hospitals across India, effective August 16, 2025. The move is going to be a big shock for a number of insurance holders who look for cashless treatment and other facilities at insurer-linked hospitals, a report said.
The insurance provider has reportedly removed all Max Hospitals across India and all these hospitals have been removed from their list of network hospitals on their website as of September 1, 2025.
What did Niva Bupa say?
Niva Bupa Health Insurance said their cashless services at Max Hospitals have been suspended. ” Our agreement with Max expired in May 2025, and while discussions on tariff revision—an annual process—have been ongoing, we were unable to reach a mutual agreement. As a result, cashless services at Max Hospitals are temporarily suspended,” Dr. Bhabhtosh Mishra, Director & Chief Operating Officer at Niva Bupa Health Insurance said.
Mishra said that cashless treatment is unavailable at Max Hospitals for Star Health and Care Health for a variety of reasons.
ET Wealth Online reported citing a Max Healthcare spokesperson, that “we had continued to provide cashless services to Niva Bupa policyholders even though the contract expired in May 2025. Niva Bupa has asked Max Healthcare to further reduce tariffs, which are already pegged at 2022 levels. Max Healthcare believes that any further reduction is unviable and could compromise patient safety and the quality of care.”
A notification of Niva Bupa said, “With great consideration, and only after exhausting all other options, we are constrained to take the difficult decision of suspending the cashless facility at Max Group of Hospitals effective 16 August 2025 across India. This step has been taken due to certain administrative, process and practice-related challenges in our existing arrangement with Max Group of Hospitals.”
What next for Niva Bupa’s policyholders?
The insurance provider has said they are making alternative arrangements to ensure “customers’ treatment continues smoothly”.
The customers, it said, can avail all the treatments at 22 hospitals spread across India, which come under the Max Group of Hospitals, but only on a reimbursement basis, the report said.
This means that Niva Bupa policyholders can avail of treatments at Max Hospitals, but they will have to first pay the bills, and then file for reimbursement with Niva Bupa.
“However, if you prefer the convenience of cashless services, you may wish to consider one of our 10,000+ partner hospitals, where the cashless facility remains fully available,” the notification read.
Niva Bupa has begun a priority reimbursement process for its customers who are currently undergoing or seeking treatment at Max Hospitals.