Improving the effectiveness of health insurance for vulnerable populations in Tamil Nadu: a scoping study to identify barriers across the insurance cascade

The Tamil Nadu Health Systems Reforms Program (TNHSRP) has requested assistance to examine ways to improve the effectiveness of the state’s health insurance scheme. Although coverage is near universal among eligible (lower-income) households, not all eligible households are enrolled; many enrolled do not know how to use their benefits; and those that use their benefits may pay for low-quality care that should be free. In this collaboration with TNHSRP and J-PAL South Asia’s IDEA lab, the project team will systematically examine barriers to effective use of the scheme and investigate ways of adapting existing effective interventions to resolve them.

For a synthesis of evidence on increasing health insurance enrolment, see the related policy insight.