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Health Insurance for Informal Sector: Case Study of Gujarat
Gumber, A. & Kulkarni, V.
Journal: Economic and Political Weekly, 35(40) 3607:3613
Publication Date: 30 Sep 2000
Published by: India: Economic and Political Weekly
Document Type: Journal Article
Is public sector management of health care facilities preferred the poor?
This paper states that the poor prefer public sector management of health care facilities. This pilot study explores some critical issues relating to the availability and needs of health insurance coverage for the poor and especially women, their needs and expectations of a health insurance system, and the likely constraints in extending current health insurance benefits to workers in the informal sector. Specifically;- Estimates the burden of health care expenditure on households protected under varied health insurance environments;
- Assesses the extent to which health insurance has helped in mitigating the burden;
- Estimates the demand for health insurance and willingness to pay for services;
- Suggests an affordable health insurance plan for workers in the informal sector
- finds that the Employees' State Insurance Scheme (ESIS) has substantial scope for improvement of its services, particularly better utilisation of its facilities.
Case studies in the paper focus on the use of health care services and show that the poor and other disadvantaged sections such as scheduled castes and tribes are forced to spend a higher proportion of their income on health care than the better off. Also, poor women are most vulnerable to diseases and ill-health due to unhygienic living conditions, heavy burden of childbearing, low emphasis on their own health care needs and severe constraints in seeking health care for themselves. Institutional arrangements have so far been lacking in correcting these gender differentials.
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