Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana

What is Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana?

• As we all know, workers and their family members who belong to an unrecognized sector don’t have any social security coverage. If they need any medical care or hospitalization, then they can’t afford their expenses. The best way to rescue them from these expenses is to provide health insurance to them.
• The National Health Insurance Programme was launched by the government of India under the Ministry of Labour and Employment in order to provide health insurance for the Indian poor (Labour class or BPL category).
• The main aim of this scheme is to cover the health insurance of unrecognized sector workers who belong to the BPL category and their family members.
• This yojana provides cashless insurance for hospitalization in public as well as private hospitals.
• This scheme was rolled out on April 1st, 2008, and is implemented in 25 states.
• On April 1st, 2015, this yojana was transferred to the Ministry of health and family welfare.

The Objective of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana:

1. To provide health insurance to low-income workers of India.
2. To empowers the beneficiaries.
3. To promote cashless payment through ICT by using smart cards

Eligibility of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana:

• Workers and their family members in unrecognized sectors who belong to the BPL category can avail these benefits under this yojana.
• For the purpose of identification, the government is providing smart cards to beneficiaries.
• The beneficiaries under this scheme are verified by the implementing agencies of this yojana.

Benefits of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana:

• Unrecognized sector workers and their families (unit of 5) can avail benefit from this scheme.
• Beneficiaries can obtain health insurance coverage of Rs. 30,000 per family per year through a family floater.
• Beneficiaries will get biometric-enabled smart cards.
• This scheme provides cashless insurance coverage for medical care.
• All pre-existing diseases are covered under this yojana with transportation expenses up to a limit of Rs. 1000. 

Funding Patterns of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana:

• The beneficiaries have to pay Rs. 30 as registration/renewal fees per annum.
• The cost of smart cards is borne by the central government and they provide 75% of the estimated annual premium per family per annum.
• The state government will provide 25% of the annual premium as well as any additional premium.
• The state government will bear the administrative cost of administering this yojana. 

The Smart Card of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana:

• Used for a variety of activities, including

1. Identification of beneficiaries using fingerprints and photographs
2. Patient information

• The function of a smart card is to avail cashless payments at hospitals.
• It can be used across the country.
• The smart card will be authenticated against the beneficiary at the enrolment station.
• In the event of biometric failure, the identification will be done through the photograph of the head of the family that is already printed on the smart card of the beneficiary. 

Features of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana:

• Providing opportunities for people who belong to the BPL category to choose between private and public hospitals
• Cashless payments can be done with the use of a smart card that contains a photograph and fingerprint of the beneficiary.
• The smart card can be used by the beneficiary in any of the RSBY-enrolled hospitals across the country.
• The smart card is a key management system that makes this scheme safe and secure.

Why is the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Scheme different from other Schemes?

The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana is not the first yojana to provide health insurance to unrecognized sector workers by the government of India.
There are certain points that differentiate this scheme from others; those are

• Government
• Insurers
• Hospitals
• Cashless payments
• Empowering the beneficiary,
• Security and safety
• Dependent on information technology.
• Portability

Achievement of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana:

Till 25 march 2013, this scheme had 

• issued 34,285,737 smart cards
• It recorded 5,097,128 hospitalization cases.

Related Frequently Asked Questions and Answers:

Q1. Write a Brief note on the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana.

Ans. The National Health Insurance Programme was launched by the government of India under the Ministry of Labour and Employment in order to provide health insurance for the Indian poor (Labour class or BPL category). The main aim of this scheme is to cover the health insurance of unrecognized sector workers who belong to the BPL category and their family members. This yojana provides cashless insurance for hospitalization in public as well as private hospitals and was rolled out on April 1st, 2008, and is implemented in 25 states. On April 1st, 2015, this yojana was transferred to the Ministry of health and family welfare.

Q2. Who are Eligible under Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana?

Ans. Eligibility-

• Workers and their family members in unrecognized sectors who belong to the BPL category can avail these benefits under this yojana.
• For the purpose of identification, the government is providing smart cards to beneficiaries.
• The beneficiaries under this scheme are verified by the implementing agencies of this yojana.

Q3. What are the Benefits of the Smart Card?

Ans.  Benefits of smart card:

• Availing cashless payments at hospitals.
• Secure and safe payment

Q4. Write Features of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana.

Ans. Features of this scheme-

• Providing opportunities for people who belong to the BPL category to choose between private and public hospitals
• Cashless payments can be done with the use of a smart card that contains a photograph and fingerprint of the beneficiary.
• The smart card can be used by the beneficiary in any of the RSBY-enrolled hospitals across the country.
• The smart card is a key management system that makes this scheme safe and secure.

Q5. What are the Funding Patterns of Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana?

Ans. The central government will provide 75% of the estimated annual premium per family per annum and the state government will provide 25% of the annual premium as well as any additional premium.