ABSTRACT
Introduction and Aim: In India, most of the households face financial hardships due to catastrophic health care expenses. In response to covid-19 pandemic, the government launched the Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka program, which offered health insurance for the coverage of covid-19 treatment costs and prevent families from undergoing financial hardships and incurring healthcare costs. The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the utilization of the Ayushman Bharat insurance scheme among covid-19 positive and non-covid patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital in the Karnataka district of Dakshina Kannada. Methodology: Data was collected from medical records of a tertiary care hospital in the Dakshina Kannada District of Karnataka for this cross-sectional study. The data collected was analyzed using the Microsoft Excel program, and the results subjected to statistical analysis using IBM SPSS software ver.20. Result(s): The study found that there was a significant association between utilization of ABArK among patients (Covid and non-Covid) admitted to the hospital. While the utilization of ABArK among covid patients was found to be 51.3%, the utilization among non-covid patients was only 14.1% (chi2= 1242.32, p value <0.001). Conclusion(s): To improve the utilization of this scheme, public awareness activities must be conducted. As a result, less out-of-pocket expenditure would be incurred and access to healthcare facilities made easier. Copyright © 2022, Indian Association of Biomedical Scientists. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Background: Out of pocket and catastrophic healthcare expenditures are leading households to financial hardships in India. The covid-19 pandemic has further added up in the loss of jobs, savings, and lives. The inclusion of covid-19 treatments in health insurance schemes like Ayushman Bharat Arogya Karnataka by the Government has helped families from financial hardships and catastrophic healthcare expenditures. Objectives: To estimate the utilization of the Ayushman Bharat insurance scheme among covid-19 positive patients in a tertiary care hospital, Dakshina Kannada District. Methodology: It was a record-based, cross-sectional study. The study was conducted by collecting data from the hospital medical records department by taking prior permission at a Tertiary Care Hospital of Dakshina Kannada District, Karnataka. The data was collected and entered into an excel sheet, analyzed, and presented in percentage in the tabular form. Results: In the present study total 1367 covid-19 positive cases were admitted. Majority of the patients were from Karnataka accounting for 93.92%. The eligible subjects for ABArK were 906 (66.27%), Out of which 714 (78.8%) had utilized the scheme. Among the 714 patients who utilized the ABArK scheme 443 (62.04%) were men and 271 (37.95%) were women. Conclusion: The utilization of this scheme requires further improvement by creating awareness activities among general public. This helps in reducing the out-of-pocket expenditure and burden in accessing the healthcare facility.