Perspective

Digital Partnerships For Health Insurance

How Asian health insurers can prepare for digital disruption

Healthcare in Asia is undergoing a period of major disruption, driven by maturing consumer demands, rapid technological advances, and competition from new players. A new healthcare environment is emerging that is increasingly digital, personalized, and available beyond the traditional hospital setting.

In this new environment, Asian healthcare incumbents are reimagining their roles in order to stay relevant to their customers and capture new opportunities. Many incumbents are “fast-tracking” their evolution by participating in new parts of the value chain, and working together with new healthcare players. In particular, we see the following ecosystem partnerships emerging:

  1. Insurers partnering with digital health technology companies to expand their service offerings
  2. Financial services and “techfin” companies partnering with providers and payers to solve business challenges and expand offerings outside of the clinical setting 
  3. Life sciences companies partnering with payers to design new products and seek alternative financing

This series will explore the potential opportunities created by each of these new ecosystems, looking closely at the global forces driving change, the implications for Asian healthcare incumbents, what we have seen so far, and where the industry is headed. Through this analysis, we hope to capture a nuanced perspective of the changes taking place across the value chain and how businesses can plan, design, and prepare for healthcare of the future.