Human and International Security in India by Crispin Bates Akio Tanabe Minoru Mio

Author:Crispin Bates, Akio Tanabe, Minoru Mio [Crispin Bates, Akio Tanabe, Minoru Mio]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Ethnic Studies
ISBN: 9781317439141
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Published: 2015-09-07T04:00:00+00:00

Insurance programmes: a step towards universal coverage

Various attempts have been made to encourage more people to obtain health insurance, but so far to little effect. For the very poorest among the population, various groups and organisations offer coverage. The Self–Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) – founded by Indira Gandhi Prize winner Ela Bhatt – provides inexpensive life, hospitalisation, and asset insurance to the 1.3 million working women who are its membership. Similarly, the Confederation of NGOs of Rural India (CNRI) and the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) have teamed up to offer affordable life and health insurance. Another means of obtaining medical coverage is to open a fixed deposit with the SEWA Bank – the interest is then used to pay the premium. However, the benefit from such coverage is extremely limited, at just Rs 2,000 (around $33) per person per year. The sectors of society that are the target clientele of such schemes are precisely those sectors that would benefit were government institutions to step up coverage and service, as they are poor or abjectly poor. Indeed this is the justification for the fact that a steep increase in government spending is being seriously considered despite rising concerns regarding the fiscal deficit, which currently stands at around 5 per cent of GDP. For those who are employed in salaried positions or who have substantial incomes and thus do not fall into the category of poor, a range of medical care options are available, with at least 15 major insurance companies competing for business.

Table 5.3 Net earned premium in health insurance, 2008–9

New India Assurance $244 million

United $162 million

National $161 million

ICICI Lombard $157 million

Star Health $72 million

Other providers include, amongst others, Bajaj Allianz, IFFCO-TOKIO, Royal Sundaram, Reliance, Cholamandalam, and Tata AIG.

Source: Health Insurance in India: A Review. The Insurance Times, 2009

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