Does affordability matter? Examining the trends and patterns in health care expenditure in India

BACKGROUND: Absence of better financing mechanism results in higher out of pocket expenditure and catastrophe, which leads to impoverishment and poverty especially among low- and middle-income countries like India. This paper examines the major characteristics associated with the higher out of pocket expenditure and provides an insight from Andersen's behavioural model that how predisposing, enabling and need factors influence the level and pattern of out of pocket expenditure in India. METHODS: Data has been extracted from three rounds of nationally representative consumer expenditure surveys, i.e. 1993-1994, 2004-2005 and 2011-2012 conducted by the Government of India. States were categorized based on regional classification, and adult equivalent scale was used to adjust the household size. Multiple Generalized-Linear-Regression-Model was employed to explore the relative effect of various socio-economic covariates on the level of out of pocket expenditure. RESULTS: The gap has widened between advantaged and disadvantaged segment of the population along with noticeable regional disparities among Indian states. Generalized-Linear-Regression-Model indicates that the most influential predisposing and enabling factor determining the level of out of pocket expenditure were age composition, religion, social-group, household type, residence, economic status, sources of cooking and lighting arrangements among the households. CONCLUSIONS: Present study suggests the need for strengthening the affordability mechanism of the households to cope with the excessive burden of health care payments. Furthermore, special consideration is required to accommodate the needs of the elderly, rural, backward states and impoverishment segment of population to reduce the unjust burden of out of pocket expenditure in India.