Determinants of Enrolment in Health Insurance Schemes in India

Indiäs healthcare economy is characterised with the larger share of household out-of-pocket health spending by households, which exposes households to high financial vulnerability. However, only small proportion of the population is covered with voluntary health insurance. This study examined the underlying reasons for such low levels of enrolment, with special reference to private and community-based health insurance schemes in India. The study found that there is a significant role of ¿Insurance Agents¿ and ¿Self Help Groups¿ in the enrolment. In addition, role of insurance awareness of people, non-availability of comprehensive insurance products, lack of trust over insurers over reimbursement play important role in limiting the scale-up of health insurance in the country. This study proposes a community-public-private partnership for achieving universal healthcare coverage for India. This book targets an audience with multi-disciplinary backgrounds, and will be useful not only for students of health economics and insurance but also for researchers and development policy practitioners with interest in healthcare and development policies.