The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), a unique scheme launched by Union Ministry of Labour and Employment so far more than 2.57 crore smart cards have been issued till the end of December,2011. The Scheme is presently being implemented in 24 States / Union Territories, namely, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Chandigarh Administration.
Pudducherry Administration is going to roll out the scheme shortly. Rajasthan has initiated the process for extension of RSBY to MGNREGA, street vendors, domestic workers and beedi workers. Madhya Pradesh and Sikkim are also in the process of implementation of the Scheme.
Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) which was launched on 01.10.2007, became operational from 01.04.2008.
The objective of RSBY is to provide protection to BPL households from financial liabilities arising out of health shocks that involve hospitalization. Beneficiaries under RSBY are entitled to hospitalization coverage up to Rs. 30,000/- for most of the diseases that require hospitalization. Government has even fixed the package rates for the hospitals for a large number of interventions. Pre-existing conditions are covered from day one and there is no age limit. Coverage extends to five members of the family which includes the head of household, spouse and up to three dependents. Beneficiaries need to pay only Rs. 30/- as registration fee while Central and State Government pays the premium to the insurer selected by the State Government on the basis of a competitive bidding.
