Modicare gains traction as Niti Aayog begins assessing health schemes of six states

For the smooth rollout of National Health Protection Scheme, Niti Aayog officials are working with six states—Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana—to revise their respective health welfare schemes.

Niti Aayog officials told Economic Times that health schemes of states relatively larger in size are being studied and that the best global practices are being looked at for NHPS. “We are looking at the concept, design, medical records, data and implementation,” the official said.

In Rajasthan, Niti Aayog is looking at Vasundhara Raje government’s current health scheme, Bhamashah Swasthya Bima Yojana, which covers around 1715 diseases, with a cover of Rs 30,000 for general illnesses and Rs 3 lakh for critical diseases.

In Tamil Nadu, the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme gives a coverage of Rs 1 lakh, critical illness cover of Rs 2 lakh and it covers over 1000 medical procedures.

Uttar Pradesh is the most optimistic for the smooth rollout of NHPS in their state, saying UP will be one of the better-prepared states for the implementation of the NHPS.

“We already have a blueprint in place, of the Rashtriya Swasthya Beema Yojana, which was abandoned by the Samajwadi Party. It covers 1.5 crore families, with Rs 30,000 as general cover. We are working on a top-up of Rs 2.5 lakh in the scheme,” said a minister.

Maharashtra’s health scheme, which provides cover to 85 percent of its population, is another scheme being looked at by the Niti Aayog, covering 22.3 million ration card holders.

Karnataka’s Congress government had announced, a day after the NHPS, its own Universal Health Coverage. It will be rolled out on November 1, bringing all government health schemes under one umbrella.

Another scheme being observed is Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao’s cashless health insurance scheme for government employees and wellness centres. It provides a scheme of Rs 5 lakh for the farmers of the state.