3 in 4 Indian companies pay for an annual health check-up. Only 1 in 4 pays for the doctor visits, tests and medicines that a check-up result usually leads to. That is the headline from ekincare's India Inc. Health Benefits Benchmark 2026, which maps the employee health benefits companies fund beyond group insurance, by company size and sector. Use it to see where you stand against your peers before you set next year's budget

The short answer

  • Annual health check-ups are standard. 3 in 4 companies offer one.
  • OPD is the gap. About 1 in 4 companies offers an OPD wallet or OPD limit. Most companies pay to find health problems, but not to treat the ones that don't need a hospital.
  • OPD budgets cluster around ₹10,000. Among companies with OPD, the typical amount is ₹8,000 to ₹15,000 per employee per year. About 4 in 5 include cashless access at network providers, and 7 in 10 cover family members.
  • IT leads on OPD. Nearly half of IT and ITeS companies offer an OPD wallet, almost twice the overall rate.
  • Manufacturing lags on check-ups. Only 57% of manufacturing and industrial companies offer one, the lowest of any sector, just as state labour code rules move to require annual check-ups for factory workers over 40.
  • Mental health and parents are rarely covered. About 1 in 10 companies offers mental health counselling or an EAP, and about 1 in 8 extends check-up or OPD cover to parents or in-laws.

The 2026 ranking: which health benefits companies offer

Share of companies that fund each benefit for employees, fully or partly.

Standard: offered by 3 in 4 companies

  • Annual health check-up: 75%

Common: offered by about 1 in 3 companies

  • Teleconsultation with a doctor: 36%

Less common: offered by about 1 in 5 companies (18% to 24%)

  • OPD wallet or OPD limit: 24%
  • In-person doctor consultation: 23%
  • Cashless OPD at network providers: 23%
  • Dental: 23%
  • Vision: 22%
  • Diagnostics outside the check-up: 20%
  • Check-up or OPD cover for dependants (spouse, children): 19%
  • Pharmacy or medicine delivery: 18%
  • OPD reimbursement: 18%

Rare: offered by about 1 in 10 companies or fewer

  • Check-up or OPD cover for parents or in-laws: 12%
  • Mental health counselling or EAP: 9%
  • Fitness or lifestyle programmes: 1%

The pattern is clear. Companies invest in finding problems: a check-up at 3 in 4 companies. Far fewer invest in what comes next. Consultations, diagnostics and medicines, the care a check-up result usually leads to, are each offered by roughly 1 company in 5. 

How it changes with company size

  • Check-ups peak in mid-to-large companies. 87% of companies with 2,000 to 9,999 employees offer 1, against 72% of companies with under 500.
  • Teleconsultation grows with size. 53% of companies with 10,000 or more employees offer it, against 34% of companies with under 500.
  • OPD does not grow with size. Between 21% and 26% of companies offer an OPD wallet in every size band. OPD is not a big-company luxury; a small company is about as likely to offer it as a large one.
  • Parents cover is most common in small companies. 15% of companies with under 500 employees extend cover to parents or in-laws, the highest of any size band.

How sectors compare

IT and ITeS: the OPD leaders. 46% offer an OPD wallet, almost twice the overall rate. They also lead on dental (41%), dependant cover (38%) and parents cover (18%). Check-ups, at 59%, are less common than average, which suggests IT companies are shifting spend from one-time check-ups to year-round care.

BFSI: check-ups, teleconsults and mental health. 81% offer a check-up and 62% offer teleconsultation, the highest of any sector. BFSI also leads on mental health: 19% offer counselling or an EAP, about twice the overall rate. That matches ekincare's From Silence to Signal research, which found BFSI counselling sessions grew 408% between 2023 and 2025.

Healthcare and pharma: strong on check-ups, light on OPD. 80% offer a check-up, but only 10% offer an OPD wallet.

Manufacturing and industrial: the check-up gap. 57% offer a check-up, the lowest of any sector, and 17% offer an OPD wallet. This matters now. Draft state rules under the labour codes, including Karnataka's and Maharashtra's, would require factories to provide a free annual check-up for every worker aged 40 and above.

How companies design OPD

Among companies that offer an OPD wallet or limit:

  • The typical amount is ₹8,000 to ₹15,000 per employee per year, with a median of ₹10,000.
  • Larger companies set higher amounts. For companies with 2,000 to 9,999 employees, the median is ₹15,000, and the top quarter set ₹27,500 or more.
  • Cashless is the norm. About 4 in 5 OPD programmes include cashless access at network providers. Fewer than 1 in 5 are reimbursement-only.
  • Most cover family. 7 in 10 OPD programmes extend to family members, not just the employee.
  • Most use one amount for everyone. About 1 in 9 companies sets different OPD amounts by employee grade.

The four biggest gaps

  1. The check-up to care gap. Three in four companies run a check-up, but only about one in four funds the OPD care that follows. ekincare's research shows more than 1 in 3 people tested have abnormal vitamin, weight or cholesterol markers. Without OPD, employees with an abnormal result either pay for the follow-up themselves or skip it.
  2. Mental health. About 1 in 10 companies offers counselling or an EAP, even as demand rises sharply among younger employees and in high-pressure sectors.
  3. Parents. About 1 in 8 companies extends check-up or OPD cover to parents or in-laws, though caring for parents is a major health cost for many Indian employees.
  4. Women's health and fertility. Fewer than 2 in 100 companies offer a named women's health, fertility or IVF benefit.

How to use this benchmark in your 2027 planning

  • If you offer a check-up but no OPD, you are in the majority, and that is the gap to close first. Start with a modest OPD wallet in the ₹8,000 to ₹15,000 range, cashless at network providers.
  • If you already offer OPD, compare your amount with your size band and check that it covers family. Seven in ten OPD programmes do.
  • If you are a manufacturer, check your state's labour code rules. The annual check-up for workers over 40 may soon be a legal duty, not a benefit.
  • If you are in BFSI or IT, your sector peers are already ahead of the market on mental health and OPD. Use their rates, not the overall average, as your benchmark.
  • Whatever your sector, pick one gap from the four above for 2027 rather than spreading a small budget across all of them.

Frequently asked questions

What health benefits do Indian companies offer employees? The most common is an annual health check-up, offered by 3 in 4 companies in ekincare's 2026 benchmark. Next come teleconsultation (36%), OPD wallets (24%), in-person consultations, dental and vision (each 22 to 23%).

What is the typical OPD wallet amount per employee in India? Among companies that offer OPD, the typical amount is ₹8,000 to ₹15,000 per employee per year, with a median of ₹10,000. Companies with 2,000 to 9,999 employees set a median of ₹15,000.

What share of companies offer OPD benefits? About 1 in 4 offers an OPD wallet or limit. In IT and ITeS it is nearly half.

Do OPD benefits usually cover family members? Yes. 7 in 10 OPD programmes extend to family members, and about 4 in 5 include cashless access at network providers.

How many companies offer mental health benefits? About 1 in 10 offers counselling or an EAP. BFSI leads at 19%.

Do companies cover employees' parents? About 1 in 8 extends check-up or OPD cover to parents or in-laws. Small companies are the most likely to do so.

Sources

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Jehi Jha
22 Oct 2026 7 min read
Marketing Manager