Simplified Laws Guide to Taxation and Legal Concern
Those who are paying premium towards Mediclaim Insurance will agree that the rates are quite high. Unfortunately, there is no differential pricing when it comes to premium. It is the same for a rich man or a poor man. Given this high premium, I am sure that many people in the unorganized sector can’t afford a Mediclaim policy.
Organized Sector – Those who are working in organized sector will get Employee State Insurance (ESI) coverage. However, people such as housemaids, personal drivers, small shopkeepers, farmers, etc. are deprived of insurance schemes.
Before writing about the possible scheme for such people, let me explain two instances.
In one case, one of my known persons living in a remote village of Kodagu district was diagnosed with deadly cancer! Their financial position is so weak that they couldn’t even afford the consultation and initial diagnosis fees. Fortunately, they had coverage under the Yashasvini Scheme. By producing the Yashaswini card, the entire cost of treatment was almost nil!
Another one is a driver’s case. The employer was consistently pushing his driver to get coverage under Yashasvini Scheme for his family members who are living in a village about 100 kms from Bangalore. Except nodding his head, the driver didn’t do much! Last week, his brother who is living in a village had an emergency health problem. The family ended up paying over Rs.40000 towards the treatment. They sourced the money by pledging gold, withdrawing the bank balance apart from borrowing from his employer.
So, in the first case, the family had heath problem but recovered after the treatment. In another case, the family had health problem but could not (financially) recover after the treatment.
This makes us to understand the importance of Yashasvini Scheme. You may not be eligible for coverage under this scheme. But you can always convince known eligible people around you to get the coverage.
Yashasvini Scheme was launched by Government of Karnataka in 2002. It is a self-Funded Healthcare scheme promoted by the Government. It is a contributory scheme wherein the beneficiaries contribute a small amount of money every year to avail any possible surgery during the period. The beneficiaries are offered cashless treatment subject to conditions of the scheme at the Network Hospitals spread across the State of Karnataka.
Who are eligible?
To avail the benefit of Yeshasvini Scheme, a person should be a member of Rural/Urban Co-operative Society of the State. All family members of the main member are eligible to avail the benefit of the scheme though they are not members of a rural/urban co-operative society. Each beneficiary is required to pay prescribed rate of annual contribution every year. Presently [2013-14] member contribution is Rs.210/- for rural people and Rs.1010 for urban people. The Eligible people can get free medical treatment upto Rs.250000 per year. The scheme will be beneficial to all sections of the society such as labourers, drivers, construction and factory workers apart from farmers and other poor people.
Hospitals – The scheme is covered in 496 network hospitals including hospitals such as Narayana Hrudayalaya! Apart from surgical treatment such as heart surgeries, cancer treatment, orthopedic implantations, etc., members can also avail outpatient treatment for Rs.100 and specialty treatment for Rs.200. Members can avail clinical investigations at 25 per cent lesser charge.
According to me, this is one of the good schemes run by the state government. An equivalent scheme may be available in other states. The readers from other states can look for similar schemes in their state.
I request the readers of the article to promote this concept among your known circle. This scheme will surely help poor people.
For more information view Yeshasvini Karnataka Gadget Notification 2013 or visit http://www.yeshasvini.kar.nic.in/
Thought for the day
Helping a person will not necessarily change the world, but it will change the world for that person.
