In a pivotal move to expand health insurance coverage across India, HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company, a leading private sector general insurer, has forged a strategic partnership with PhonePe, to launch an affordable health insurance solution designed to serve the ‘Missing Middle’.The year 2025 marks the 79^th glorious year of Indian Independence. One of the major drivers in shaping up the country’s economy is the digital payment ecosystem. However, while India is making remarkable strides at these fronts, an alarming fact remains that 30% of Indians, which involves ~40 crore citizens¹, are still neither covered under government-sponsored health schemes nor can afford any comprehensive health insurance plan. In fact, ~10 crore¹ individuals within this group also slips into poverty due to health care related expenses. These uninsured citizens largely belong to lower and middle-income groups or workers in the unorganised, including gig economy workers, who remain exposed to costly out-of-pocket healthcare expenses.HDFC ERGO’s partnership with PhonePe is a strategic move, as it brings together a trustworthy digital first insurer and a digital payment platform. By tapping into the digital infrastructure of PhonePe, the ‘missing middle’ of India now will have easy access to HDFC ERGO’s comprehensive health insurance at an affordable premium.Commenting on the launch, Parthanil Ghosh, Executive Director*, HDFC ERGO General Insurance, said, “As per the Niti Aayog report, ~40 crore Indians who are referred to as ‘Missing Middle’, lack any form of health insurance coverage. In order to bridge this gap, HDFC ERGO’s Suraksha Sankalp aims to provide financial support through its cashless Health Insurance plan ranging from OPD to hospitalisation. In order to reach the citizens across the country, we needed a strong partner with a wide distribution network across remote geographies. We are delighted to partner with PhonePe, who has helped to fulfil this purpose of insurance inclusion.”Adding to this, Vishal Gupta, CEO at PhonePe Insurance Broking Services, said, “Inclusive health insurance is a fundamental need and at PhonePe, we are committed to making a real impact towards the financial future and wellbeing of every Indian. As a step towards this initiative, we are proud to partner with HDFC ERGO to launch this plan for ‘Missing Middle’. The plan is priced to ensur