Thanks to the Indian government’s relentless efforts, various indicators that measure the health of the nation have shown improvements in the last decade. This improvement is primarily due to the increase of health insurance coverage through various government schemes; leading more people to seek professional medical treatment.
The expansion of insurance coverage in rural areas has been remarkable. The elderly and the members of scheduled caste and tribes are seeking medical care due to insurance coverage. According to official data, childbirth in government hospitals has increased by 22% and the numbers of at-home deliveries have registered a decline of 16%.
A recent Brookings India study has revealed that the number of sick persons per thousand people ‘not seeking’ medical services has reduced from 15.1 per 1,000 in 2004 to 12.4 in 2014. The increased accessibility and affordability of medical services to the poor living in rural areas has also increased insurance penetration in the past decade.
The government of India continues to be the main motivation behind the spread of insurance cover. However, the data compiled by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) asserts that Indians are increasingly buying private policies too.
According to IRDAI, the premium collected by health insurers increased by 21.7% to ₹24,448 crore in 2015-16. The numbers of schemes, services and payment modes have also increased in the past decade. With the increase in revenue there has been a corresponding increase in services offered, payment options and better access to critical healthcare.
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