Informal employment and high burden of out-of-pocket healthcare payments among older workers: evidence from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Informal older workers in India face a higher financial burden from out-of-pocket (OOP) healthcare payments despite lower average spending. Policies are needed to strengthen social security and health insurance for this vulnerable population.
Area Of Science
- Public Health
- Health Economics
- Gerontology
Background
- India's economy features a large informal workforce with limited social security and health coverage.
- Majority of healthcare expenditure in India is private, posing challenges for aging populations and informal workers.
- Informal workers often continue working past retirement age to cover healthcare costs due to lack of savings and pensions.
Purpose Of The Study
- To estimate the burden of out-of-pocket (OOP) healthcare payments on informal older workers in India.
- To compare OOP payment burdens between informal and formal older workers.
- To inform policy recommendations for improving healthcare security for informal workers.
Main Methods
- Utilized data from the first wave of the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI).
- Employed a two-part regression model to estimate average OOP payments for inpatient and outpatient care.
- Used probit regression models to assess the proportion of income spent on OOP payments.
Main Results
- Informal older workers paid INR 1113 less for inpatient and INR 55 less for outpatient care on average compared to formal workers.
- However, the burden of combined OOP payments exceeding 40%, 20%, and 10% of income was significantly higher for informal older workers.
- This indicates a disproportionately greater financial strain on informal older workers relative to their income.
Conclusions
- Strengthening universal health insurance is crucial to prevent financial hardship from medical expenses.
- Policies must be tailored to address the unique livelihood and healthcare security challenges of informal workers.
- Enhancing social security and healthcare systems is vital for financial protection against OOP payments, especially for informal workers.
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