The National Health Authority(NHA), implementing agency of the scheme, in its letter issued on Mar,8 has, outlined 10 broad areas on which the panel has to formulate suggestions within the next 45 days
New Delhi:
Even as the government is now planning further expansion of its flagship health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat, after almost six years of its inception, the National Health Authority(NHA), has formed an expert committee headed by VK Paul, member, Niti Aayog, to review and suggest measures for the modifications the mega scheme.
The NHA, implementing agency of the scheme, in its letter issued on Mar,8 has, outlined 10 broad areas on which the panel has to formulate suggestions within the next 45 days.
Among others Apurva Chandra, health secretary, Deepti Gaur Mukerjee, CEO, NHA, MT Krishna Babu, Andhra Pradesh chief secretary BC Patnaik, member,Life & Health, IRDAI, Nishant Jain from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Indu Bhushan, CEO of Ayushman Bharat and group directors of corporate hospitals like Apollo and Yashoda, are on the panel.
Some of the areas which the panel will review are-
-Expansion of the scheme’s beneficiary base,
-Review and strategise roles and responsibilities of the Centre and state in terms of scheme policy, design and implementation,
-Streamlining packages, coordinating with related health programmes, and reducing out-of-pocket expenses and and participation of private sector,
-Refining payment methods, hospital grading, promoting value-based care, ensuring continuity of care, and implementing differential pricing based on care costs.
–Linkages with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) and Aayushman Aarogya Mandir (AAM),
-Suggesting measures to prevent fraud, abuse or misuse,
–Progress of the scheme in terms of beneficiary identification, hospitalisation, equity in access to healthcare services, scheme awareness,
– Modes of implementation such as trust, insurance and hybrid mode
Under the scheme which was launched in September 2018, nearly 10 crore families or 50 crore Indians, based on their socio-economic status, are offered a secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation benefit of up to Rs 5 lakh.
6.2 crore free hospital admissions have saved out-of-pocket expenditure of more than Rs 1.25 lakh crore of poor and vulnerable population till mid-January this year.