“dynamic” rates in hospitals could increase costs for patients by up to 20%

These are prices that vary according to demand, adding surcharges, for example, for priority for the use of operating rooms. The government had tried to address the problem in 2020, but many hospitals found ways to fragment expenses into different items. The Sister Beena, director of the Holy Family hospital, highlights the need for universal health coverage.

New Delhi () – India’s private health sector is introducing new rates that will increase costs for patients, reveals a report from The Economic Times, according to which some hospitals are adopting “dynamic” rates, similar to those used by some applications in which prices vary depending on demand, but also include surcharges for disinfection or for priority use of operating rooms. It is a phenomenon that can increase total costs by up to 20%, which further aggravates the problem of inflation in health care, which already stands at 14%, according to an insurer specialized in the subject. . “Even routine procedures, such as laparoscopy or hysterectomies, are now subject to inflated prices,” he added.

Insurance companies, which can normally offer complete packages with fixed costs, are now facing an unbundling of services and must charge surcharges for procedures that were previously included in standard packages. For example, angioplasty, which was previously considered a single solution that included angiograms and stents, is now subdivided into each procedure.

P. Chidambaram, finance minister until 2014, criticized this practice and stated that the priority of operating theaters should be determined based on medical urgency and not ability to pay. He urged the government to intervene and commented on X (Twitter) that “hospitals are not airplanes. Inflated airline fares are bad enough; If hospitals also adopt this practice, they will be anti-consumer and anti-poor.”

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai), created in 2020, had tried to address the problem by setting clear guidelines for expenses, but many hospitals have found ways to circumvent the regulation by dividing expenses into different voices. “As hospitals justify these new rates under the guise of improving care or operational efficiency, insurers and patients are wondering how to keep up,” said one health insurance executive.

Interviewed by Sister Beena, executive director of the Sagrada Familia hospital (founded in 1942, today it has 268 beds), stressed the need for universal health coverage (CSU, Universal Health Coverage), which allows “guaranteeing accessible and quality health services to all” .

In India there is a strong disparity between urban and rural areas. Although 78% of India’s population resides in the countryside, only 2% of healthcare operators are available in these areas, and government-funded health insurance systems often fail to cover sufficient numbers of people.

The health system in India is mixed and often, among private operators, non-profit organizations do not receive enough attention – commented Sister Beena -, unlike other private companies. “This is not only a detrimental risk to the health of people and their communities, but also a significant obstacle to greater social development and economic growth,” continued the director of the Holy Family, in charge of the Ursulines of Mary Immaculate.

Sister Beena points out – especially in anticipation of the continued increase in India’s population, which currently stands at 1.4 billion – the importance of increasing the public health budget, digitizing systems and strengthening public-private collaboration, especially with nonprofit organizations that provide accessible health services. “For the success of universal health coverage – he added – government support for the institutions that already exist in rural areas is crucial.”