Why Publicly-Financed Health Insurance Schemes Are Ineffective in Providing Financial Risk Protection

Abstract

This paper provides early and robust evidence on the impact of publicly-financed health insurance schemes on financial risk protection in India’s health sector. It conclusively demonstrates that the poorer sections of households in intervention districts of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna , Rajiv Aarogyasri of Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu Health Insurance schemes experienced a rise in real per capita healthcare expenditure, particularly on hospitalisation, and an increase in catastrophic headcount – conclusive proof that