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Ailing healthcare system Ayushman Bharat scheme Excluding poor, exploiting rich For a successful AB-PMJAY
JAGDISH RATTANANI

The increase in coverage cost is dramatic; it makes taking cover onerous for those who need it the most

Around this time last year, the annual Mediclaim premium for a 60-year-old seeking medical cover of Rs 1 lakh increased from Rs 5,400 to Rs 10,800, a 100 per cent jump. If this number comes as a shock, wait to consider that if this person had a cover of Rs 8 lakh, then the premium actually went down from Rs 33,000 to Rs 31,130 - a fall of 5.7 per cent. In short, a richer person capable of taking a higher cover benefitted while a retiree looking for a basic cover might find it unaffordable, paying as high as 10 per cent of the cover being sought.

Jagdish Rattanani is a journalist and a faculty member at SPJIMR