Govt: Can't have exclusive insurance for HIV positive

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Govt: Can't have exclusive insurance for HIV positive

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 4

Top health policy drivers of the country today argued that exclusive insurance

cover for the People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIVs) would not be financially

viable and an inclusive insurance cover for the entire population was more

warranted.

The government has agreed to set up a working group, including representatives

of the PLHIVs, insurance companies, the Insurance Regulatory Development

Authority and the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) to debate the issue

and come out with a plan within two months.

The move came after the high-level committee constituted by the Planning

Commission to work on the Universal Health Coverage for all Indians said it was

about to propose an end to exclusive insurance schemes for separate sections of

the population and a gradual shift towards an all-inclusive insurance cover.

Chairperson of the committee, Dr K Srinath Reddy, made this point at the end of

the two-day consultation on mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in the health insurance cover

in India. He said their panel was against a slew of insurance schemes like the

Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (meant for the BPL families), Employees State

Insurance scheme, seperate insurance cover for the railway workers and close to

50 other such schemes in operation in the country. He advocated an inclusive

cover.

" It makes more sense to have a wider population base, which will ensure low

premiums and more financial viability. It will also offset the risk of disease

the population poses, making insurance an effective tool to provide for

healthcare costs. I don't think exclusive insurance cover for the HIV + or for

any other population group will help. Today, treatment for diabetes is as costly

as that of HIV. We need to cover all costs and keep equity and

non-discrimination issues in mind, " Shiv Kumar, member of the high-level group

on health and member, National Advisory Council (NAC) today told The Tribune. He

said the working group had evidence of the RSBY failing financially in some

states.

The NACO also admitted that ways needed to be worked out to look at which model,

inclusive or exclusive, would help the HIV/AIDS affected. The working group will

look at these issues.

The insurance sector, for its part, argued for service tax exemption on

insurance premiums. " Since healthcare is a sensitive subject, service tax

exemptions could attract insurance companies to spread their net, " KK

Srinivasan, Advisor, IRDA said. Though the other experts disagreed on grounds

that the tax concerned a small fraction of the Indian population. The government

said it had commissioned studies on mortality and morbidity, as sought by the

insurance companies, which need the population characteristics of the HIV

infected population and data on the incidence of various opportunistic

infections and other diseases the infected people contract.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110205/nation.htm#7