Recently, following a number of representations made by various stakeholders (including Insurers) on a multitude of issues as well as to update the existing framework, the IRDAI, by way of a notification of 18th July 2016, issued the IRDAI (Health Insurance) Regulations 2016 (Health Regulations 2016) replacing the Health Regulations 2013. The IRDAI also replaced the Standardization Guidelines 2013 with the Guidelines on Standardization in Health Insurance of 29th July 2016 (Standardization Guidelines 2016) and the Guidelines on Product Filing in Health Insurance Business of 29th July 2016 (Product Filing Guidelines). Health Insurance Regulations 2016, Registration and Scope of Health Insurance Business : As per Section 3 of the Health Insurance Regulations 2016: Health Insurance products may be offered only by entities with a valid registration granted to carry on Life Insurance or General Insurance or Health Insurance Business under the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Registration of Indian Insurance Companies) Regulations 2000 as amended from time to time.Life Insurers may offer long term Individual Health Insurance products i.e., for term of 5 years or more, but the premium for such products shall remain unchanged for at least a period of every block of three years, thereafter the premium may be reviewed and modified as necessary. Provided that a life insurer may not offer indemnity based products either Individual or Group. All existing indemnity based products offered by life insurers shall be withdrawn as specified under these Regulations. Provided also that no single premium health insurance product shall be offered under Unit Linked platform.General Insurers and Health Insurers may offer individual health products with a minimum tenure of one year and a maximum tenure of three years, provided that the premium remains unchanged for the tenure.Group Health Policies may be offered by any insurer for a term of one year except credit linked products where the term can be extended up to the loan period not exceeding five years Provided General Insurers and Health Insurers may also offer Credit Linked Group Personal Accident policies for a term extended up to the loan period not exceeding five years.Provided further, notwithstanding the provisions of Regulation 4 (b) of these Regulations, Life Insurers may offer Group Health Insurance Policies as specified in Regulation (3) (d).Group Personal Accident Policies may be offered by General Insurers and Health insurers with term less than one year also to provide coverage to specific events. Other Insurance Products offering Travel Cover and Individual Personal Accident Cover may also be offered for a period less than one year.Overseas or Domestic Travel Insurance policies may only be offered by General Insurers and Health Insurers , either as a standalone product or as an add-on cover to a health or personal accident policy.Health Insurance, Restrictions on Life Insurers offering Health Insurance Policies : Life Insurers are prohibited from offering indemnity based health insurance products either as individual or group policies. Consequently, all such existing indemnity based products offered by Life Insurers are now required to be withdrawn in accordance with the prescribed procedure.