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India’s insurance grows but hospital bills still crush families with out of pocket spending
Economy
Published on 27 April 2026
Rural patients pay nearly 95% themselves for hospital care
A new NSO survey finds India’s health insurance coverage is expanding, yet hospitalisation costs are still largely borne by patients. Rural households shoulder about 95% of hospital spending out of pocket, while urban patients also pay a significant share. Hospitalisation costs have nearly doubled, even as the frequency of hospitalisations per 1,000 people stays flat.
- Out of pocket spending still dominates hospitalisation bills
- Rural patients cover about 95% of costs themselves
- Hospitalisation costs nearly doubled despite more coverage
- Hospitalisation rates per 1,000 people remain steady
Read the full story at The Economic Times
This summarization was done by Beige for a story published on 
The Economic Times