Tamil Nadu has made high-end medical treatments easier to access through its Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS). Since January 11, 2012, over 18,000 patients have had treatments like organ and cochlear transplants. The State has spent ₹1,556.35 crore on these procedures till November 30, 2025. The CMCHIS covers eight complex operations: renal, liver, heart, heart and lung, single and double lung transplants, cochlear implantation, auditory brainstem implantation, and bone marrow/stem cell transplantation. Renal transplants helped the most patients (6,524), followed by cochlear implants (6,276). Liver transplants cost the most, totaling ₹515.83 crore. Each liver transplant receives ₹22,00,000 from the scheme. Costs beyond the ₹5,00,000 insurance cap are paid from the CMCHIS Corpus Fund, which is supported by deducting 27% from claim amounts in government hospitals. M. Edwin Fernando of Government Stanley Medical College Hospital said, “Organ transplants can cost a fortune in the private sector. A renal transplant may cost ₹8 lakh to ₹10 lakh in any high-end hospital. In the government sector, the entire process—starting from donor work-up, recipient work-up, cross match testing and all other investigations to the transplant, post-transplant medications and investigations—are free for life for a CMCHIS cardholder, who requires kidney transplant and has a near-related donor.” He called this a boon for marginalized people and said, “Finance is not a constraint for them to access procedures such as renal transplants.” Mohan Kameswaran from Madras ENT Research Foundation said over 5,000 children have received cochlear implants under CMCHIS, all from below poverty line families who previously had no access to such treatments. He said the scheme reduces social inequalities and is cost-effective since children form the future society. Tamil Nadu leads in providing cochlear implants through government support, inspiring other states. Kameswaran added the State should start a universal newborn hearing program and expand habilitation centers so children do not need to travel far for post-implant care. This would improve early detection and outcomes. Tamil Nadu’s CMCHIS program stands as a shining example of government support for costly, life-changing health procedures.