Uncovering Coverage: Utilisation of the Universal Health Insurance Scheme, Chhattisgarh by Women in Slums of Raipur

Abstract

In 2013, the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) was rolled out to effectively address health concerns of the urban poor population. In the last decade, there has been a spate of publicly funded insurance schemes, prominent amongst them being the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY). In 2012, the Government of Chhattisgarh expanded the RSBY into a new avatar, the Mukhyamantri Swasthya Bima Yojana (MSBY), thereby universalising health insurance coverage. This study was conducted in the slums of Raipur, the capital and largest city of Chhattisgarh, with the objective of assessing issues of coverage and utilisation in these areas. The specific focus was on issues of women’s medical conditions and the experiences of women beneficiaries during enrolment in these schemes.