Healthcare for all is not merely about insurance

The government's push to ease health-insurance claims is welcome. For equitable outcomes, however, India should gradually shift its welfare emphasis to high-quality public services

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For many who've had the misfortune of having to invoke health-insurance coverage, the difficulty of it is what stays embedded in memory. Don't get us wrong. The concept, in itself, is excellent. But the process of getting claims met and the suspense over what part may have to be paid from one's own pocket are sources of anxiety in need of relief, especially when it adds to the distress of a medical crisis in the family. So, it counts as good news that India's government is taking further steps to ease the formalities. As reported by Mint, it plans to make it mandatory for health insurers to approve valid cashless treatment requests within an hour and final claim settlement requests within three. The latter should help relieve patients who are fit for discharge from hospitals but are kept waiting till the bills are settled. The delays are such that tales abound of patients feeling like hostages, with their cannula insertions held in place till the last rupee is paid. For those who do not have the benefit of cashless claims—in which hospitals take