Kerala’s expatriate health insurance programme, NORKA Care Plus, prepares for its second enrolment phase starting August 18, with a wider hospital network and online portal launch, offering enhanced coverage for Keralite families abroad.
Kerala’s expatriate insurance programme, NORKA Care Plus, is set to open its second enrolment window on August 18, with the portal also due to be launched that day, according to The Hindu. Rajesh Madhavan, chief executive officer of NoRKA-ROOTS, said the new round will run until September 18 and will cover the remaining eight months of the current policy period, from August 18, 2026, to April 14, 2027.
The scheme, which began on April 15, 2026, offers health and accident cover across seven slabs, ranging from ₹5 lakh to ₹1 crore. Eligibility is limited to non-resident Keralites aged 18 to 70 who hold a valid NoRKA Pravasi ID, Student ID or NRK ID. For plans between ₹10 lakh and ₹1 crore, the policyholder’s parents or spouse, up to the age of 80, can also be included. Earlier reports on the scheme described it as the first state-backed insurance programme in India designed specifically for expatriate Keralites and their families, with cashless treatment and coverage of pre-existing illnesses from the outset.
According to The Hindu, the scheme will provide cashless treatment at about 24,000 hospitals nationwide, including more than 688 in Kerala. Earlier coverage of NORKA Care said the network extends to more than 16,000 hospitals across India and over 500 in Kerala, while other reports put the Kerala figure at roughly 410 to 500 hospitals, reflecting different stages of rollout and reporting. The policy can be bought through the NoRKA-ROOTS website or the NORKA Care Plus mobile app on Apple’s App Store and Google Play.
NoRKA-ROOTS said around 1.62 lakh expatriate families from 138 countries have already enrolled in the NORKA Care and NORKA Care Plus schemes. As of July 31, claims worth ₹227 crore had been paid to 31,660 policyholders, with the agency putting the settlement rate at 99.38%. The programme is being run with United India Insurance Company, while NoRKA-ROOTS officials said the revised premiums for the second phase reflect the shorter remaining term of the policy year.
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