The National Health Authority has introduced differential pricing centered on the type of city and level of care and added 365 new procedures, according to their utilization and cost-effectiveness.  This was done with the objective of rationalizing the packages offered under the government’s Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme. The new version of the Health Benefit Package, 2022 was launched under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan ArogyaYojana with a total of 1949 procedures. 

The new procedures included in the scheme include bone marrow transplants and cochlear implant surgery. Additionally, high-end drugs and diagnostics such as MRI and CT scans have been unbundled from the packages so that their cost is not included in the primary treatment package and if needed can be created as a separate head. 

As per the NHA office memorandum, “the rationalization exercise for revision of HBP 2022 comprised of an extensive review of current scheme performance in terms of its utilization and related issues, consideration of cost evidence to determine the variation in cost and price, an exhaustive consultation with expert committees in different specialties, inputs from state health agencies, hospital associations and other stakeholders.” (More procedures, city-specific pricing in new Ayushman offer, Health News, ET HealthWorld (indiatimes.com)