Beneficiaries of the State’s Yeshasvini Cooperative Farmers Health Care Scheme have something to cheer about, with the government enhancing package rates substantially for the treatment in the 540 networked hospitals.
The upward revision in the package rates, notified on April 23, is in the range of 35 per cent to 40 per cent. However, the rates of some packages have been increased by 100 per cent or much more.
For example, while C-Section package rate has been hiked from Rs. 7,500 to Rs. 14,000, the rate for temporary pacemaker implantation is up from Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 10,000.
The out-of-pocket expenses paid by beneficiaries towards implants such as valves, pacemakers, stents and orthopaedic devices have been included under the revised package rates.
Sources in the Yeshasvini Trust said following a demand by the empanelled hospitals for an upward revision, the Trust had last year set up a committee of medical experts headed by the Registrar of Cooperative Societies to study and revise the rates.
Although the rates were revised in 2012, the empanelled hospitals’ grouse was that the rates were inappropriate.
C.N. Manjunath, Director of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, a member of the Yeshasvini Trust, told The Hindu that the package rates offered earlier were “grossly inadequate.”
Launched in 2003 by the State government, Yeshasvini is one of the largest self-funded healthcare schemes in the country. Covering 823 defined surgical procedures, the scheme enables members to avail themselves of cashless treatment up to Rs. 1.25 lakh for a single admission every year.
The upper limit in case of multiple admissions can go up to Rs. 2 lakh. The beneficiaries pay an annual premium of Rs. 250 a head.
