Utilization of health insurance by patients admitted for dental surgical procedures at a tertiary care hospital in coastal Karnataka: A retrospective study
Description
In India, there are a variety of medical insurance options available. However, unlike many other countries, dental insurance plans are not common. Aim: to assess the utilization of various government and private health insurance schemes by patients admitted for dental surgical procedures at a tertiary care hospital in coastal Karnataka, India. Methods: A study was conducted retrospectively to gather data on the socio-demographics, bill details, insurance, and benefits claimed by patients who were admitted to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at a tertiary care hospital from May 2016 to September 2022.Results: Out of 1750 patients, only 856 (48.9%) patients have availed of insurance, 395 patients (22.6%) utilized government health insurance policies, and 461 patients (26.3%) availed of private health insurance plans. Among Government schemes, primarily Ayushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka was used by 262 (30.6%) patients, followed by Employees' State Insurance Scheme by 110 (12.9%) patients. Among private schemes, 212 (24.8%) patients used the policies purchased by them, 19 (2.2%) patients’ medical expenses were paid by their employers, 105 (12.3%) patients utilized Manipal Arogya Suraksha and 124 (14.5%) patients used Medicare provided by the hospital. Bivariate linear regression confirmed that the total bill amount, out-of-pocket expenditure by the patient, and insurance amount reimbursed to the hospital were significantly associated with the type of insurance (government vs. private). The study noticed a gradual rise in insured patients every year. Conclusion: Greater utilization of health insurance should be encouraged because the cost of dental treatment has always hindered the use of oral health services worldwide.
Files
Steps to reproduce
A retrospective cross-sectional study was done to collect information about sociodemographic, details of bill, insurance and benefit claimed by patients admitted from May 2016 to September 2022 under Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Kasturba Hospital, Manipal. This study was approved by the Kasturba Hospital Institutional ethics committee (KH IEC 748-2020) after a thorough review of the study methodology. Incrementally and periodically, 10 medical records per day were accessed at the Medical Records Department, KH Manipal with due efforts to maintain the patient’s anonymity as per the rules and regulations of the hospital. The data obtained was first entered in a Microsoft excel sheet. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 24.0 (IBM Corp).