News > Time for India to rethink health insurance as Covid rips apart safety nets

Time for India to rethink health insurance as Covid rips apart safety nets

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration unveiled what it called the world’s largest health insurance plan, targeting over 107 million people–the poorest 40% of the population. It was meant to be a better version of a decade-old policy that fell short in terms of the amount reimbursed and its cap on the number of people enrolled from one household.

Under the new plan, families are covered for up to 500,000 rupees ($6,670) for medical procedures. Eligibility was widened and is based on several “deprivation” criteria in rural and urban areas.