HEALTH FOR ALL: Workable infrastructure to collect premium missing
The Budget has made a pitch for improvement in living standards, but failed to take into account the machinery cost in terms of offering a community-based health insurance scheme, insurance industry sources said.
The four state general insurance companies have been encouraged to pilot the health insurance scheme but have not been given any workable machinery for collecting the premium. A similar proposal had been introduced last year more on the state level, but most of the four companies failed to bite the idea.
The government has proposed development of universal health insurance scheme at cost of Rs 1 a day for individuals, Rs 1.50 for a family of five, Rs 2 for family of seven including dependents.
They will also be eligible for a benefit of Rs 30,000 in case of hospitalisation, and the family will get Rs 25,000 in the event of accidental death. Further, the scheme will compensate the loss of earning at the rate of Rs 50 per day for a maximum period of 15 days.
In the last budget, the government had come out with a similar scheme for individuals, and now wishes to take forward the cover to include families on a community basis.
Further, the Centre wants to make the scheme
