The States have their own schemes to provide financial risk protection to those seeking medical relief. But such standardisation can stifle innovation and entail costly structures that may not accommodate local conditions, preferences, and cost-effective solutions. The NHA’s approach does not appear to be built on consensus. This may increase administrative costs from the current 6% to 30%, as seen in the Medicare scheme of the U.S. The writer is a former Union Secretary at the Ministry of Health, Government of India, and author of ‘Do We Care?

Source: The Hindu February 06, 2019 18:45 UTC