Out-Of-Pocket Health Expenditure: Pattern, Determinants and Policy Implications

The present paper aims at examining distribution of Out-of-Pocket (OOP) health expenditure across six Indian states and analysing determinants of OOP health expenditure. For this purpose, World Health Survey data for the year 2003 are used. Findings show that poor households, households from rural area, and households with more children and elderly persons spend larger proportion on health care. Education and insurance reduce OOP health expenditure and thus can be explored as possible policy instruments to reduce OOP health spending.