CRISIL in its research has said that the new scheme will lead to increase in health insurance coverage to more than 650 million persons.
The Ayushman Bharat-National Health Prorection Mission is expected to increase health insurance penetration from 33 percent of the population to 50 percent on implementation, said a research report by CRISIL.
As of fiscal 2017, nearly 438 million persons were covered under various health insurance schemes, including 335 million under various government sponsored schemes including Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY). With the new scheme, the coverage will increase to more than 650 million persons.
The Union Cabinet on March 21, 2018, approved the launch of a new centrally sponsored scheme called Ayushman Bharat-National Health Protection Mission.
The scheme, under which more than 100 million families from poor and vulnerable sections will get a cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year, will subsume the ongoing centrally sponsored schemes, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) and the Senior Citizen Health Insurance Scheme.
The Union Cabinet approved a budgetary support of Rs 85200 crore (as Centre’s share) between fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2020 to the on-going National Health Mission (NHM), which has two sub-missions: the National Rural Health Mission and the National Urban Health Mission.
The government will integrate NHPM into the NHM.
CRISIL in its report said that thrust to affordable and quality healthcare for all, especially the economically disadvantaged citizens, is well-intended and will boost insurance penetration from the current 33 percent to more than 50 percent on implementation.
However, it added that the mechanism and vehicle for raising the humongous resources required for the moves will be a key monitorable. The National Health Mission has seen cumulative expenditure of Rs 53200 crore in the last two fiscals and the government has already allocated budgetary support of Rs 30100 crore for fiscal 2019.
During this period, the government has also spent Rs 3800 crore on insurance schemes (Rs 900 crore on RSBY and Rs 2900 crore on CGHS Pensioners) and has already allocated budgetary support of Rs 3600 for fiscal 2019 (Rs 2000 crore on RSBY and Rs 1600 crore CGHS Pensioners).
The report added that the execution framework, too, is unclear at the moment. However, it said that they believe the sector could be in for a huge fillip if the intent is pushed through.
