Insurer-Hospital Row: Sentiment Hit, But Patient Footfall Unaffected, Says InCred's Khemka

• Aditya Khemka of InCred Asset Management states recent insurer-hospital friction hurt market sentiment for hospital stocks but not patient behavior or operations.
• The disruption was a 'narrative issue' for markets, not an operational challenge for hospitals, as demand for care remained intact.
• Patients proceeded with treatments, paying upfront and seeking reimbursement, even when cashless approvals were paused.
• Khemka emphasized that pricing discussions between hospitals and insurers are routine, not a structural shift.
• Fears of widespread price cuts or lasting margin compression for hospitals were overstated, with no evidence of a broad-based slowdown in patient footfall.