The Planning Commission of India has suggested the introduction of a state-funded health insurance programme in 12th five-year Plan (2012-17) to provide health cover to all Indian citizens. The board as advised the government to formulate fiscal inducements for beneficiaries of the program and their employers to urge them to take part in the plan.
The 12th five-year Plan will explore the potential of starting a state-funded health insurance plan for every citizen along the lines of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana. RSBY is presently available to certain selected groups.
RSBY was started in year 2008 and is presently providing health insurance to approximately 24 million poor people in the country.
“It’s a step in the right direction but the government needs to decide on a few things, including “the definition of healthcare, who’ll fund it, whether it will be a public-private partnership and whether it will be for families both above and below the poverty line,” said Amarnath Ananthanarayanan, CEO Bharti Axa General Insurance.
A panel official said, “Details of the plan will be formulated once the actual implementation starts, said who declined to be identified. This is just the idea now. When actual implementation happens then all these concerns will be addressed.”
