Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) (a.k.a. micro health insurance) is a contributory health insurance among rural poor in developing countries. As CBHI schemes typically function with no subsidy income, the schemes' expenditures cannot exceed their premium income. A good estimate of...

Objective: Non-communicable diseases (NCD) are on the increase in low-income countries, where healthcare costs are paid mostly out-of-pocket. We investigate the financial burden of NCD vs. communicable diseases (CD) among rural poor in India and assess whether they can afford to treat...

Background amp; Objectives: In India, health services are funded largely through out-of-pocket spending (OOPS). The objective of this article is to provide data on the cost of an illness episode and parameters affecting cost.Methods: The data was obtained through a household survey carried out...

Background & objectives: The evidence-base of the impact of community-based health insurance (CBHI) on access to healthcare and financial protection in India is weak. We investigated the impact of CBHI in rural Uttar Pradesh and Bihar States of India on insured households' self-medication and...

Background: Against the backdrop of insufficient public supply of primary care and reports of informal providers, we sought fresh descriptive evidence on 1st contact curative health care seeking choices among rural communities in Andhra-Pradesh (AP) and Orissa. Methods: Our cross sectional study...

This study, conducted in India in 2005, provides evidence on Willingness to pay (WTP), gathered through a unidirectional (descending) bidding game among 3024 households (HH) in seven locations where micro health insurance units are in operation. Insured persons reported slightly higher WTP...

Background: This study examines health-related “hardship financing” in order to get better insights on how poor households finance their out-of-pocket healthcare costs. We define hardship financing as having to borrow money with interest or to sell assets to pay out-of-pocket healthcare...

Background: In recent years, supported by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), a number of community based health insurance (CBHI) schemes have been operating in rural India. Such schemes design their benefit packages according to local priorities. This paper examines healthcare seeking...

Background & Objectives: Despite remarkable progress in airborne, vector-borne and waterborne diseases in India, the morbidity associated with these diseases is still high. Many of these diseases are controllable through awareness and preventive practice. This study was an attempt to evaluate...