Efforts to raise premium of Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme

Thiruvananthapuram: The premium amount of APL sections that joined in the Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CHIS) by the state government is likely to rise. The step is being taken as the project would be handed over to new insurance company from next April. The premium amount of APL section would be raised by Rs 200. Currently the APL section is paying Rs 464 as premium amount and Rs 30 as registration fee. The pemium of BPL sections is paid by the state government. When the premium amount rises, high amount needed to be levied from state exchequer. Earlier, the United India Insurance Company, which took the contract for the scheme for three years asked to raise the premium amount fearing huge loss. The finance department which protested against the same, asked to call new tender to select another company run the scheme. Earlier it was only the United India which was ready to run the scheme for Rs 464 and all other private companies asked more than thousand rupees. The project would be handed over to a new company by mid December. Among the 17, 34, 770 families which joined the project previous year, 1, 40,204 are APL families. When the number of beneficiaries would rise by the next year, the insurance companies would have to face huge loss.

The scheme which aimed to stipulate the number of consumers to 35 lakh crossed the number when the registration was complete for the next year. As per the scheme, run by the state government by using the fund from Centre and State government, the enrolled families would be issued ''smart cards,'' which would provide treatment aid up to Rs 30,000 for card holders. But the scheme was not able to provide needed hospital facilities for those who joined the scheme previous years. Many hospitals which were part of the scheme first, abandoned if after some time. Insurance company also ousted some hospitals which forged the bills.







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