Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities
Year : 2011, Volume : 1, Issue : 4
First page : ( 31) Last page : ( 40)
Online ISSN : 2249-7315.

Selected health insurance schemes in India

Gobi S.*, Ph.D Research Scholar, Parthasarathy R.**, Ph.D Research Scholar

*Department of Economics, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore – 46.

**Department of Economics, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore – 46.

Online published on 3 January, 2012.

Abstract

India's tryst with health insurance program goes back to the late 1940s and early 1950s when the civil servants (Central Government Health Scheme) and formal sector workers (Employees’ State Insurance Scheme) were enrolled into a contributory but heavily subsidized health insurance programs. As part of liberalization of the economy since the early 1990s, the government opened up the insurance sector (including health insurance) to private sector participation in the year 1999. This development had thrown open the possibility for higher income groups to access quality care from private tertiary care facilities. As part of liberalization of the economy since the early 1990s, the government opened up the insurance sector (including health insurance) to private sector participation in the year 1999. This development had thrown open the possibility for higher income groups to access quality care from private tertiary care facilities. India is a low-income country with 26% population living below the poverty line, and 35% illiterate population with skewed health risks. Insurance is limited to only a small proportion of people in the organized sector covering less than 10% of the total population. Currently, there no mechanism or infrastructure for collecting mandatory premium among the large scale informal sector.

Top