KATHMANDU, May 17, 2012
The government is launching subsidized health insurance scheme for all citizens as it aims to raise people´s access to medical services and widen social safety net.
Once the program is rolled out, all insured can claim for expenses like doctor fees and medical bills.
However, it is still not clear what portion of the annual premium will be chipped in by the government and how much each individual has to contribute to purchase these insurance policies. Other details such as estimated government funding that is required, insurance coverage amount, claim settlement mechanism and issuer of these policies are also not available at the moment.
“To clarify these issues and give a concrete shape to the plan, we recently formed a steering committee under Praveen Mishra, secretary of the Ministry of Health and Population,” Kavi Raj Khanal, under secretary at the health ministry, told Republica.
The committee, which will hold its first meeting this Friday, will coordinate with other stakeholders such as the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Labor and Transport Management, National Planning Commission and the Insurance Board to prepare the program.
In the initial phase, the government plans to launch the program in “few districts” as pilot projects. During this phase, it plans to rope in people living below the line of poverty.
“After these projects take off we will be able to assess the situation on the ground and gather experience based on which certain amendments can be made to the program,” Khanal said. “We then plan to take the program to people living below the poverty line.”
Government estimates put the number of households living below the line of poverty at 1.3 million. This means members of these families earn less than US$1.25 a day.
“We hope the scheme that we are launching will raise access of the poor to medical services,” Khanal said.
Once the government covers the poor population, it intends to expand its coverage to low-income group. “We aim to increase the coverage gradually in this manner until all the people get health insurance coverage,” Khanal said.
Source: Republica
The government is launching subsidized health insurance scheme for all citizens as it aims to raise people´s access to medical services and widen social safety net.
Once the program is rolled out, all insured can claim for expenses like doctor fees and medical bills.
However, it is still not clear what portion of the annual premium will be chipped in by the government and how much each individual has to contribute to purchase these insurance policies. Other details such as estimated government funding that is required, insurance coverage amount, claim settlement mechanism and issuer of these policies are also not available at the moment.
“To clarify these issues and give a concrete shape to the plan, we recently formed a steering committee under Praveen Mishra, secretary of the Ministry of Health and Population,” Kavi Raj Khanal, under secretary at the health ministry, told Republica.
The committee, which will hold its first meeting this Friday, will coordinate with other stakeholders such as the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Labor and Transport Management, National Planning Commission and the Insurance Board to prepare the program.
In the initial phase, the government plans to launch the program in “few districts” as pilot projects. During this phase, it plans to rope in people living below the line of poverty.
“After these projects take off we will be able to assess the situation on the ground and gather experience based on which certain amendments can be made to the program,” Khanal said. “We then plan to take the program to people living below the poverty line.”
Government estimates put the number of households living below the line of poverty at 1.3 million. This means members of these families earn less than US$1.25 a day.
“We hope the scheme that we are launching will raise access of the poor to medical services,” Khanal said.
Once the government covers the poor population, it intends to expand its coverage to low-income group. “We aim to increase the coverage gradually in this manner until all the people get health insurance coverage,” Khanal said.
Source: Republica
1 comment:
It is very good thing for the peoples, that government will sponsor health insurance in Nepal. It is good for them and also people who does not afford to pay the premiums of insurance, it is best scheme for them.
Health Exchange Group
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