The study in West Bengal, India, highlights the significant burden of catastrophic out-of-pocket healthcare payments on poor households, with a substantial portion of the population living below the poverty line. Despite increased government health sector funding, access to quality services for the impoverished remains limited, leading to severe financial strain, especially from chronic illnesses and outpatient care. Findings indicate that high healthcare costs force vulnerable households to cut back on essential expenditures, thereby exacerbating their economic hardships.

1. IIHMRCatastrophic out-of-pocket payment for health care and its impact on households: Experience from West Bengal, IndiaSwadhin MondalBarun KanjilalHenry LucasiHEA Conference Toronto 2011

2. 2Population around 81 million.

3. Highest population density of any state in India: 904 persons per square km.

4. Almost 25% 0f population living below poverty line.Study Area: West Bengal

5. ContextThe government has substantially increased the health sector budget, but due to inequities in resource allocation this has not substantially improved access to quality services for the poor.

6. Out-of-pocket (OOP) payment is the major health financing mechanism (~80%).

7. OOP often places a huge financial burden on poorer households

8. Financial protection mechanisms, especially for poor rural households, are few and very limited. 3

9. 4Primary data collected from three districts

10. Covered 3,152 households comprising 15,206 individuals