April 15: The Health Insurance Board has said that those insured under the state-run health insurance programme will have to bear 20 percent cost of  treatment at private and community hospitals on their own.    
Executive Director of the board, Dr Damodar Basaula, informed that those insured under the scheme would bear 20 percent of total expense incurred in the treatment effective from Sunday, April 14. This new provision would discourage the insured to undergo non-essential health tests. This provision is expected to benefit the ones who are sick and insured, said Basaula.

Earlier, the insured people were liable to bear 10 percent of cost for treatment at community hospitals and 20 percent at private hospitals.     

Executive Director Dr Basaula however informed that the scheme would not be enforced in primary hospitals with 15 beds.    
The co-sharing of the treatment cost will be effective in the federal and provincial hospitals, private and community hospitals, and medical colleges where specialist service is available.    
A total of 77,41,483 people have joined the government’s insurance scheme. Among them, 3.6 million are getting benefit, while number of those yet to renew the policy is 4.8 million. -- RSS