Post-Covid awareness drives Karnataka’s health insurance coverage to 63.3%

Karnataka's household health insurance coverage rose from 31.8% in NFHS-5 (2019-21) to 63.3% in NFHS-6 (2023-24).

Karnataka ranks fifth nationally with coverage above the national average of 60.2%, behind Andhra Pradesh (91.9%), Rajasthan (88.7%), Odisha (82.7%), and Assam (70.3%).

Rural Karnataka has higher coverage at 68.1% than urban areas at 57.1%, based on a survey of 27,169 households.

Experts attribute the rise to post-Covid health awareness, expansion of govt-backed schemes, and increased household incomes.

Rural coverage growth is linked to deeper penetration of state and central schemes like Employees' State Insurance Scheme (ESIS), Central Govt Health Scheme (CGHS), and Karnataka's Yeshasvini scheme.