Despite a substantial increase in the coverage of health insurance or finance schemes, which only cover inpatient treatment, between 2017-18 and 2025, out-of-pocket expenditure by patients and their families still accounts for almost all of the spending on hospitalisation. This was revealed in the latest household consumption survey on health
Despite a substantial increase in the coverage of health insurance or finance schemes, which only cover inpatient treatment, between 2017-18 and 2025, out-of-pocket expenditure by patients and their families still accounts for almost all of the spending on hospitalisation. This was revealed in the latest household consumption survey on health conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) in the Jan-Dec 2025 period.In the 2017-18 survey, over 90% of the hospitalisation expenses were shown to be borne by the patient through household income or savings and borrowings, with sale of physical assets and contribution from friends and relatives making up most of the remaining. At the time, coverage of govt-sponsored health insurance or financing schemes was just 13% in rural areas and 9% in urban India. Health report card In this survey, the coverage
