Very limited people take health insurance in India. People living below the poverty line (BPL) do not have the financial source to bear the cost of health insurance. To provide medical coverage for BPL families, the government has launched several health insurance policies.
Every person needs medical help sometime in his life. In view of the spread of various diseases like diabetes, covid-19 etc., health insurance has become a necessity for all. Rising medical treatment costs have made healthcare expensive. Because of this, people are left with no other option but to opt for a health insurance policy. Healthcare service should be easily accessible to people from all sections of the society.
But the income of people below the poverty line is limited, due to which taking a health insurance policy proves to be a distant dream for them. Most of the poor people do not even have the basic necessities like food and shelter. Because of this, they do not consider health insurance to be necessary at all. While the people of this class are equally at risk of diseases.
In such a situation, when BPL families have to face medical emergency, So they are not in a condition to spend on the right treatment at the right time. They either settle for poor health care service or lose their family members due to lack of money. Government of India has started many types of health insurance policies for the people coming in BPL category.
Health insurance is for people coming in BPL category
National Health Insurance Scheme
Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana provides health insurance coverage to those BPL families whose members work in unorganized sectors. The Ministry of Labor and Employment has started this scheme. It covers the cost of treatment and transportation of the patient up to Rs.1000. It offers a sum assured of Rs 30,000 on a floater basis and also covers pre-existing diseases. Its estimated annual premium is Rs.750.
Universal health insurance scheme
Universal health insurance scheme is offered by public sector insurance companies. These schemes cover the cost of hospitalization of people living below the poverty line. It comes with a sum assured of Rs 30,000 per family on a floater basis. It also offers accidental death cover of Rs.25,000. Along with this, in case of loss of income from this scheme, daily compensation of Rs. 50 is available for maximum 15 days. It also provides maternity expenses of Rs.2500 for normal delivery and Rs.5000 for cesarean delivery. Its annual premium is 300 to 600 rupees.
Karunya Health Insurance Scheme
Karunya Health Insurance Scheme is given by the Government of Kerala. It has been started to provide coverage to low-income groups for serious diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, kidney disease, hemophilia etc. This scheme gives a sum insured of Rs.3,00,000. Along with this, reimbursement is also available in case the treatment expenses exceed the estimated amount. People whose annual income is less than Rs 3 lakh can apply for this scheme.
Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana
The Maharashtra government has launched the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana to provide medical coverage to farmers and people living below the poverty line. This plan covers hospitalization cost for medical and surgical procedures under 34 specialties. It comes with a sum assured of Rs 1,50,000 per family on a floater basis. This plan can be extended up to Rs 2,50,000 per family for renal transplant.
Chief Minister Amritam Scheme
Mukhyamantri Amritam Yojana was launched by the Gujarat government to cover the medical expenses of BPL families. It provides coverage for pre-hospitalization and post-hospitalization expenses along with transportation fees. It also provides coverage for some critical illnesses, such as cancer, liver and kidney transplant, etc. It gives a sum insured of Rs.3,00,000 to every family. This can be increased up to Rs 5,00,000 for organ transplant. People whose annual income is up to Rs 4 lakh can apply for this scheme.
