Awareness and Utilisation Perspectives of Health Insurance among Women Workers

Abstract

The new phenomenon has given economic power in the hands of women for which they were earlier totally dependent on males. Economically independent women feel more confident about their personal lives. Hence, they are taking more personal decisions, for instance, about their further education, marriage, etc. More and more women want freedom of work and control their own reproduction, freedom of mobility and freedom to define one's own style of life. With increasing literacy among women in India, their entry into many types of work, formerly the preserve of men, women can now look upon the bearing and raising of their children not as a life's work in itself but as an episode. Health insurance is a mechanism by which a person protects himself from financial loss caused due to accident and or disability. Though disability is not fixed, precise and immutable state affected as it is by numerous influences, both objective and subjective, its significance to society is that condition of ill health arising from disease or injury that prevents the individual from pursuing his normal routine of living. Majority of the population belonged the lower socioeconomic status. Various socioeconomic factors do have an impact on the awareness level. Another aspects was observed that awareness increases with an increase in the educational qualification. Awareness mainly through media and friends. Media seemed to have played an important role in the dissemination of information. The need for education for rural and urban population alike on the concept of health insurance is a crucial aspect on extending awareness about health insurance on a large-scale. The connotation between socio-economic status and amount of premium payable were significant. The higher socio-economic status higher was the amount agreeable to be paid as premium. The health insurance companies should come out with a clear policy details, as many of the respondents had only vague ideas about their various benefits and risks involved in a policy. This may be the reason for low health insurance penetration among the general public, in spite of a reasonably high awareness about health insurance as showed the results of this study. To develop a viable health insurance scheme, it is important to understand people’s perceptions and develop packages that are accessible, affordable and acceptable to all sections of the society. Absolutely there is an alarming need to improve the awareness with regard to their knowledge about health insurance covering the medical expenses in the rural communities. The awareness regarding health insurance in rural population is very low. There is an urgent need to educate the rural population about the importance of health insurance. Nationwide surveys are necessary to know the real status regarding health insurance awareness.