1Resident, Department of Periodontology and Implantology, Maharishi Markandeshwar Institute of Dental Sciences, Mullana, Haryana
2Assistant Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Govt. Medical College, Haryana
3Senior Lecturer, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Adesh Institute of Dental Sciences And Research, Bathinda, Punjab
4Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Puducherry
5Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Maharishi Markandeshwar Institute of Medical Sciences, Mullana
6Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Rohtak
Online published on 10 February, 2015.
Even after more than 60 years of independence, inequalities in access to health care is widely prevalent in Indian communities. As per NFHS-3 only 5% household are covered under any health scheme or insurance.
Therefore present study was planned to conduct with an objective to assess the awareness of health insurance among the patients seeking care at a tertiary care dental hospital in northern India.
The present cross-sectional survey was conducted by the Department of Public Health Dentistry of Adesh Institute of Dental Sciences And Research from March 2013 to August 2013. 422 patients seeking care at various outpatient departments (OPDs) of the institute formed the study population.
Overall 37.4% of the study subjects were aware about health insurance, while remaining 62.6% had no idea about it. Gender wise males were more aware than females (55.5% Vs 44.5%). Participants belonging to higher socioeconomic class were more aware (81.9%) compared to those of lower class. A good number of respondents believed that health insurance is for tax gain (39.1%) & coverage of medical expenses (29.1%). Interestingly, almost 11% of study subjects took health insurance because of pressure from employer. 78.9% believed in insurance provided by governmental health agencies rather than services of private insurance agencies. Relatives/friends were the most common (66.8%) source of information about health insurance.
This study highlights lower levels of awareness about health insurance among study subjects. The data generated can be of practical use for hospital administrators to become aware of the current status of health insurance awareness among patients seeking care at the institution and take the necessary steps to make them aware of the same to meet the ever rising medical expenses in view of unpredictable illness and injuries.
Awareness, Health Insurance, Dental, Hospital
