New India Assurance to cover 4 crore Rajasthan's poor

New India Assurance will provide health cover to about 4 crore poor people of Rajasthan under a state-sponsored insurance programme.
The general insurance company will execute health insurance for about one crore poor families across the state, it said in a statement today.
The Bhamasha Swasthya Bima Yojana (BSBY) programme of the state government will extend health insurance benefits to four crore people who are covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).
New India Assurance said this will be one of the largest health insurance schemes in the country that will give cover for cashless treatment of 1,401 diseases.

The insured person will get a cover of Rs 3 lakh for 663 critical illness and Rs 30,000 each for 738 general illness under BSBY.
"This is one of the unique universal health insurance schemes in the country and is operated through large number of empanelled hospitals both public and private," G Srinivasan, CMD of New India Assurance said in the statement.

With the state bearing Rs 1,261 cover per family, the total insurance premium cost of the programme comes over Rs 1,200 crore per annum.
The insurance scheme is part of Rajasthan government's vision of maximum governance and minimum government, improvement in health indicators, reduction in out of pocket expenses and providing financial security to the poor against illnesses.

It also aims to provide stimulus to private sector to open hospitals in rural areas and reducing the increasing burden on government facilities.
New India Assurance is the largest general insurance company of India in terms of net worth, domestic gross direct premium, net profit as well as number of branches. It is also present in 28 other countries.
The company's gross premium for half year ended September 30, stood at Rs 12,823.49 crore.