Health policy: Out-of-pocket cost jumps as consumables' share in bill rises

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to higher out-of-pocket expenses for policyholders as the proportion of consumables in hospital bills, which is not paid for by insurance companies, has increased significantly. 

According to industry estimates, consumables earlier made up between 2 per cent and 8 per cent of hospital bills. But during the pandemic, this has increased to 15-20 per cent, with some putting the figure to as high as 30 per cent.  

Consumables are usually, but not restricted to, medical aid/equipment that have to be discarded after use. The cost incurred from the consumables is directly billed to the patient. There are