The Modi government may launch universal health insurance for 400 million citizens who currently lack medical insurance.

The “missing middle” consists largely of casual laborers or the self-employed or gig workers who are neither under the Ayushman Bharat scheme for the poor nor have any paid-for health insurance, two people aware of the development told Hindustan Times.

The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) scheme, launched in September 2018, and state government schemes provide comprehensive hospitalization cover to the bottom 50% of the population, estimated to be around 700m people. Another 250m people are covered through social health insurance and paid-for health insurance. The balance – both in urban and rural areas – is the “missing middle”.

A scheme is being worked on which may be part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to provide insurance coverage to all. This could be implemented during his third five-year term in office if his political party wins the general election scheduled to be held in April-May 2024.

Medical treatment pricing

Separately, on 27 February, the Indian Supreme Court rebuked the central government for not specifying the range of prices for medical treatment services by private hospitals and clinical establishments, as required by the Clinical Establishment Rules. The bench warned the central government that if it failed to present a proposal for hospital rates compliant with the rules in collaboration with states and union territories, the court would enforce the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) rates as an interim measure across all private hospitals.

The pricing of each service must be within the range outlined by the ccentral government, as decided in consultation with the state government. as a result, the Supreme Court has directed the Secretary of the Department of Health to work with states and union territories to draw up a proposal within six weeks.