core sector communique

New Heights under Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY)

Under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), a Labour Welfare Scheme launched by the Union Ministry of Labour & Employment so far more than 3.04 crore smart cards have been issued. RSBY is presently being implemented in 25 States / Union Territories, namely, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Chandigarh Administration. Launched in October 2007, the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana” (RSBY) is operational since 01.04.2008. The objective of RSBY is to provide protection to BPL households from financial liabilities arising out of health shocks that involve hospitalization. Beneficiaries under RSBY are entitled to hospitalization coverage up to Rs. 30,000/- for most of the diseases that require hospitalization. Government has even fixed the package rates for the hospitals for a large number of interventions. Pre-existing conditions are covered from day one and there is no age limit. Coverage extends to five members of the family which includes the head of household, spouse and up to three dependents. Beneficiaries need to pay only Rs. 30/- as registration fee while Central and State Government pays the premium to the insurer selected by the State Government on the basis of a competitive bidding.