In an evaluation of the effects of a government insurance program covering tertiary care for the poor in Karnataka, India, Sood and his colleague found that insurance for tertiary care increased treatment seeking among eligible households and that insured patients experienced better post-hospitalization outcomes, suggesting higher-quality of care received. The researchers assert that several pathways exist through which tertiary care insurance can improve health, aside from increasing utilization of the services that the program directly subsidizes.
The full study is available at BMJ Open.
Citation: Sood, N., & Wagner, Z. (2016). Impact of Health Insurance for Tertiary Care on Postoperative Outcomes and Seeking Care for Symptoms: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from Karnataka, India. BMJ Open.