Page 32 - Forbes - India (January 2020)
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Pre-Budget sPecial




         mexy xavier




































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          The Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai charges 30-40 percent less for medical treatments compared to for-profit private hospitals
          running for several years. But these   National Sample Survey Office data   photo and fine print on the reverse
          have had a patchy record. Several   found that for every 100 cases under   detailing the services that can
          studies have reported no reduction   various state government-funded   be availed of. “The government
          in out-of-pocket expenses of those   health insurance schemes, only three   authorities came home to give this
          insured. One such study looking   got cashless treatment. This could be   to us…. just months before I fell
          at hospitalisation cases based on   due to poor monitoring and improper   ill,” says Tasneem, smiling feebly.
                                            regulatory regimes, write the authors.   “I didn’t know what it was at the
                                              “The government, health care
          Top 5 states by number of         providers and patients will have to go   time, but when we decided to come
                                                                              to Mumbai, I remembered I had
          AB-PMJAY claims (crore)           through teething troubles for the next   read something about free medical
                                            year or so before things start running   treatment at the back of the card,
             Gujarat            642         smoothly,” predicts Shetty, who has   so I got it along,” she says. The card
                                            allocated 5 to 10 percent of beds at   entitles Tasneem to care at any private
           Tamil Nadu     399
                                            some Narayana Hrudayalaya hospitals   or public sector hospital empanelled
          Chhattisgarh   379                for Ayushman Bharat patients.     under the scheme. Pre-admission
                                                                              tests as well as all expenses during
            Karnataka    364                    t Mumbai’s Tata Memorial      the hospital stay, including tests,
                                                Hospital, Amir pulls out a    drugs, consumables, post-operative
           Maharashtra  283
                                            a laminated, pink card from       care, and even transportation and
                  0  100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800  his shirt pocket. It’s Tasneem’s   food for the patient, are supposed
          Source   Government of India in Lok Sabha, September 2019  AB-PMJAY card, complete with a   to be covered under AB-PMJAY.



          forbes india • january 31, 2020
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