States reluctant to push Modicare over own health insurance schemes

NITI Aayog, health secretaries to discuss implementation of central insurance scheme today

The roll-out of the Union government’s ambitious new health insurance scheme could face rough patches, as many states, including those with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments, are reluctant to withdraw their current schemes in its favour.

In the Union Budget, presented in Parliament on February 1, the Union government said it would introduce health insurance for 500 million Indians, called the National Health Protection Scheme — subsequently dubbed “Modicare”. Under this scheme, 100 million vulnerable families would be provided insurance cover of up to Rs 500,000 a year. The states have the option of running it parallel to their own