New Delhi: India had one of the highest out-of pocket (OOP) health expenditures as a percentage of total health expenditure among major economies in 2024, despite a decline from over 60 per cent in 2014 to under 40 per cent estimated in 2024.
At the same time China’s OOP share dropped slightly from over 36 per cent to 32 per cent over the same period.
HEALTH PROTECTION GAP
- Widened by 21 per cent since 2017 in emerging Asia.
- China alone accounts for nearly half the region’s gap
- Key Drawback: Rising medical costs from 2017
- Reasons:Gaps in coverage and access
2024
- More Indian households experienced difficulty in affording medical costs
- Despite initiaitives like Ayushman Bharat (2018) and various state insurance schemes, gaps in coverage remain in India
- Low disposable incomes and inadequate public health infrastructure leave uninsured households vulnerable
