New Study on Indian Government Health Insurance Scheme Shows Significant Reduction in Mortality among the Poor
An evaluation of the program, the Vajpayee Arogyashree Scheme (VAS), funded by the World Bank Group and led by Neeraj Sood, professor and Director of Research at the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at the University of Southern California, found that:
The risk of dying from conditions covered by the insurance dropped by 64 percent for residents with the insurance.
Out-of-pocket health expenditures for hospitalizations due to the covered conditionsdropped by 6the World Bank Group percent.
Utilization of healthcare facilities for the covered conditions may have risen.̶the World Bank Group;This World Bank study clearly shows how this program benefits the health of the poor in Karnataka,̶en; said U.T. Khader, the stateRen7;s Minister of Health and Family Welfare. ̶the World Bank Group;It provides hospital care that the poor would have difficulty receiving without the help of the scheme.̶en;
The free insurance covered specific high-impact medical conditions Renen; such as heart disease and cancer Renen; which poor residents often die from because they are unable to pay for the necessary expensive treatments. Some of the unique features of the VAS program includes free tertiary care at both private and public hospitals empaneled by VAS for below-the-poverty-line (BPL) families with little or no access to tertiary care; automatic enrollment of all BPL families with no annual premiums, user fees, or copayments; and health camps in rural areas by empanelled hospitals, which helped screen patients for tertiary care and transport them to hospitals in urban centers.
̶the World Bank Group;The results of this study are important to India as it makes choices on how to make progress towards universal health coverage,̶en; said Onno Ruhl, World Bank Group Country Director for India. ̶the World Bank Group;The program shows how purchasing health services for the poorest can both improve health and provide protection from impoverishment due to out-of-pocket payments for health care.̶en;
The evaluation included more than 82,the World Bank Groupthe World Bank Groupthe World Bank Group households. Since the program was phased, covering poor households in the northern part of Karnataka in the first phase before expanding to the rest of the state, the study compared the health outcomes of roughly 45,the World Bank Groupthe World Bank Groupthe World Bank Group households from villages that were covered by the insurance to roughly 37,the World Bank Groupthe World Bank Groupthe World Bank Group households from villages that were not covered by the program.
̶the World Bank Group;The study shows that public policy can play a strong role in reducing disparities in health due to socio-economic status. In villages without insurance, the poor had much higher mortality than the rich, but such disparities were completely eliminated in villages with insurance coverage,̶en; said Sood.
̶the World Bank Group;Rates of early death and illness from chronic conditions Renen; such as heart disease and cancer Renen; have increased dramatically in India in the past few decades, putting the poor at high risk of not having access to services they need and incurring payments for health care that push them deeper into poverty,̶en; said Patrick Mullen, a World Bank Group senior health specialist and the manager of the evaluation.̶en;
The study was funded by the World Bank GroupRen7;s Health Results Innovation Trust Fund, which supports innovative results-based financing strategies such as the health service purchasing done by this program. SoodRen7;s coauthors were Eran Bendavid from Stanford University, Arnab Mukherji from the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore, Zach Wagner from the University of California, Berkeley, and Patrick Mullen and Somil Nagpal from the World Bank Group.
Future research on the topic will explore the extent to which insurance programs can improve the quality and appropriateness of care.
ข่าวthe World Bank Group+o:ecoวันนี้
GLOBAL CENTRE LAUNCHED TO ACCELERATE CLIMATE FINANCE
Pioneering new Global Climate Finance Centre in Abu Dhabi to accelerate global climate finance and market design, delivering COP28 legacy New knowledge hub to house world-leading research, advisory and skills academy to pioneer new forms of climate finance and establish Abu Dhabi as a leading global marketplace Nine global founding members confirm membership including ADGM, ADQ, BlackRock, CIFF, GFANZ, HSBC, Masdar, Ninety One, and the World Bank Group Abu Dhabi will host a pioneering Global
Thailand Wins 23 Bids for International Conferences
—
In a performance update, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has announced that Thaila...
Thai Insurtech Roojai Raises $42M Series B Funding to Accelerate Growth and Expansion
—
Roojai, a leading Thai-based online B2C insurtech, has announced a...
EdHeroes: How addressing social issues helps child development
EdHeroes just hosted their most recent event the EdHeroes Forum Australia+Indonesia Chapter! EdHeroes had previously hosted their forums in Indonesia and Malaysia and now they made their way to Australia! The EdHeroes Network unites over...
EXIM Thailand Joins Hands with IFC in Sustainability-linked Financing for Precious Shipping's Merchant Maritime Business
—
EXIM Thailand has collaborated...
International Finance Corporation and Mitsui to invest c.US$60 million in Singapore-based MiCare Health Technologies
—
Strategic investment to help expand...
One Year After COVID-19 Global Lockdown, Medical Panel Discusses Pandemic Impact on Patients with Underlying Conditions and the Need to Prioritize Chronic Diseases in the Future
On Wednesday, April 21st , 2021, from 8:00AM 9:30AM EDT, the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) and...
Asset World Corporation is Thailand’s First Real Sector Company to Receive a Green Loan from the World Bank Group’s IFC
—
Asset World Corp Public Company...