Modicare: New health insurance plan may cost Centre, states $1.71 bn a year

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious plan to provide health insurance to 100 million poor families would require Rs 110 billion ($1.71 billion) in federal and state funding each year, a government official told Reuters.
 

The National Health Protection Scheme, dubbed "Modicare" and announced in Thursday's Budget 2018, would provide 100 million families, or about 500 million poor people, with a health cover of Rs 500,000 ($7,850) for free treatment of serious ailments.
 

The government has estimated the premium for insuring each family would be about Rs 1,100 ($17.15), said the government official with direct knowledge of the matter.