More Rural Indians Have Health Cover Than Urbanites: Survey
Hyderabad: Health insurance coverage has more than doubled in India in the last seven years, with rural Indians beating their urban counterparts in availing health cover. Maternal health also improved. . .
Hyderabad: Health insurance coverage has more than doubled in India in the last seven years, with rural Indians beating their urban counterparts in availing health cover. Maternal health also improved significantly, as 96 out of 100 babies are born in hospitals. According to ‘Household Social Consumption: Health Survey’, 47. 4 per cent of rural residents and 44. 3 per cent of urban residents were covered under at least one health insurance scheme in 2025, compared to 14. 1 per cent and 19. 1 per cent respectively in 2017-18. The health coverage includes all public health insurance schemes provided by central and state governments. Conducted from January to December 2025 across 1,39,732 households, the survey is the government’s key source for assessing out-of-pocket medical expenditure and access to healthcare. Childbirth indicators present one of the clearest signs of progress, with 96. 2 per cent of childbirths now taking place in institutions and only 3. 8 per cent occurring at home. In rural areas, institutional deliveries rose from 90. 5 per cent in 2017-18 to 95. 6 per cent in 2025, while in urban areas the figure increased from 96. 1 per cent to 97. 8 per cent. Home births fell sharply during the same period, from 9. 5 per cent to 4. 4 per cent in rural India and from 3. 8 per cent to 2. 2 per cent in urban India. The survey also notes that rural women continue to rely more on government health facilities, while urban women increasingly use private hospitals. It found that 13. 1 per cent of persons reported illness in the 15 days before the survey. Urban residents were found to be slightly more affected than rural residents because of a growing burden of chronic and age-related ailments, particularly among older people. Average out-of-pocket expenditure for hospitalisation stood at `34,064, compared with `6,631 in public hospitals and `50,508 in private hospitals. Hospitalisation rates remained stable at 2. 9 per cent, suggesting that rising illness does not necessarily lead to more admissions, possibly because of cost pressure or greater use of outpatient care. The financial burden rises with consumption levels, though even lower-income households face substantial medical costs. The report also breaks down costs by illness. Cancer, kidney failure, cardiovascular disease and injuries emerged as some of the costliest conditions, especially in private hospitals. Obstetric care, by contrast, was relatively less expensive in public facilities, underlining the importance of government health services for childbirth and maternal care.