International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

E-ISSN: 2582-2160   •   Impact Factor: 9.24

A Widely Indexed Open Access Peer Reviewed Multidisciplinary Bi-monthly Scholarly International Journal

Call for Paper Volume 8, Issue 6 (November-December 2026) Submit your research before last 3 days of December to publish your research paper in the issue of November-December.
Submit Research Paper Join as a Reviewer

Plagiarism is checked by the leading plagiarism checker TurnItIn

Call for Paper

Volume 8 Issue 6
November-December 2026

Submit your research paper

Indexing Partners
Academia Advanced Sciences Index Bielefeld Academic Search Engine CiteSeer DRJI Google Scholar Independent Search Engine & Directory Network ISI (International Scientific Indexing) Issuu Mendeley Research Networks
RefSeek ResearcherId - Thomson Reuters ResearchGate Scirus Scribd Semantic Scholar UTeM - Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka Wiki for Call for Papers WorldCat Zenodo

Ayushman Bharat and Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditure in India: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Author(s) Dr. Mahesh Kumar Sharma
Country India
Abstract The present study examines the impact of Ayushman Bharat on out-of-pocket (OOP) health expenditure in India through a cross-sectional economic analysis. High out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure has remained a major challenge in India, often leading to financial distress and catastrophic health expenditure among households. In order to strengthen financial protection and improve healthcare accessibility, the Government of India launched Ayushman Bharat in 2018 under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY). The study is based entirely on secondary data collected from National Health Accounts (NHA), NSSO Health Surveys, NFHS reports, PM-JAY annual reports, and various government publications for the period 2014–15 to 2021–22. Descriptive and comparative statistical techniques such as percentages, trend analysis, tables, bar diagrams, and pie charts have been used for data analysis.
The findings of the study reveal a significant decline in out-of-pocket health expenditure during the study period, with OOPE decreasing from 62.6 per cent in 2014–15 to 39.4 per cent in 2021–22. Simultaneously, government health expenditure and the number of PM-JAY beneficiaries increased steadily, indicating greater public participation in healthcare financing and improved healthcare accessibility. The study further finds that medicines continue to account for the largest share of household healthcare expenditure despite insurance coverage. Although Ayushman Bharat has contributed positively towards financial protection and reduction in healthcare burden, challenges such as uneven implementation, regional disparities, and inadequate coverage of outpatient care and medicines continue to affect its overall effectiveness. The study concludes that Ayushman Bharat represents an important step towards Universal Health Coverage in India; however, further policy reforms and increased public healthcare investment are necessary to ensure comprehensive financial protection and equitable healthcare access.
Keywords Ayushman Bharat; Out-of-Pocket Expenditure; PM-JAY; Health Economics; Healthcare Financing; Universal Health Coverage; Public Health Expenditure; Financial Protection
Field Medical / Pharmacy
Published In Volume 8, Issue 2, March-April 2026
Published On 2026-03-05
DOI https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i02.79754
View / Download PDF File

Share this



E-ISSN 2582-2160
CrossRef

CrossRef DOI prefix of IJFMR is 10.36948/ijfmr

Downloads
Research Paper Format Copyright Permission Form and Undertaking Form

All research papers published on this website are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, and all rights belong to their respective authors/researchers.

CC-BY-SA Open Access

About IJFMR
Fees & Payment
Current Issue
Publication Archive 		Submit Research Paper
Track Submission Status
Publication Guidelines
Publication Ethics
Peer Review & Plagiarism 		Join as a Reviewer
Editors & Reviewers
Reviewer Referral Program
Get Reviewer Membership Certi. 		Website/Journal Policies
Usage Policy
Content Policies
Privacy Policy
Contact Us +91-9687-828-838 editor@ijfmr.com
Powered by Sky Research Publication and Journals