Availability of real-time and reliable health data from digital health tools, resolve of governments to combat non-communicable diseases and willingness of members to share health data in lieu of benefits such as a reduced premium is a perfect opportunity for insurers to enter into innovative digital health partnerships and move from being merely a payer of healthcare to partners in good health.

With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic that spread globally at an accelerated pace, healthcare resources at all levels were shifted away from the management and prevention of chronic diseases to contain the outbreak. Prolonged lock-downs have led to reduced access to healthcare, a sudden drop in the referrals to physicians, and a reduction in the hospitalization of patients for treatment of conditions other than the COVID-19 infection. Reports suggest a partial or complete disruption of services for chronic patients across many countries worldwide. Options for community-based support and care for such patients are limited, thereby leading to a serious concern about the effect of the pandemic on the long-term clinical outcomes of patients with chronic diseases.