A majority of Indians did not have health insurance as of 2017-18. Coverage levels varied widely based on ‘wealth classes’. The poorest were the least covered as they mostly depended on government schemes, while the richest fared better and relied more on private insurance
Abysmal coverage
Among the poorest households, 90% did not have health insurance. While richer households fared better, coverage among them was still poor (67% of urban households lacked insurance). The table shows the % of households without health insurance across wealth classes (from poorest 20%: 1 to the richest 20%: 5)
How many are not covered?
Insurance source
Of those with health insurance, most were dependent on government schemes. The only exceptions were the richest urban households who used private insurance the most. With just 9.6% coverage, the urban poor were the worst affected. In urban areas, workers in both government and private sectors were covered by their employers to an extent. Only a meagre share of rural folk received that benefit. Table shows % of households with insurance
Insurance coverage
Health budget
Urban households spent more on hospitalisation than rural households across all wealth classes. Table shows average expense incurred for treatment for every case of hospitalisation (in ₹). As most households lacked insurance, they were forced to spend out of their pockets. This particularly affected the poor whose insurance coverage levels were lowest among wealth classes
Hospital expenses
Money source
As out-of-pocket expenditure was high, households were forced to dip into their savings or borrow. Table shows % of hospital expenses that were made by dipping into savings and borrowing
Financial strain
Source: Key indicators of social consumption, NSS 75th round (2017-18)
