Out-of-pocket medical expenses is a crucial metric for assessing how well the healthcare system is working towards obtaining universal health coverage in any country. In India, Out -of-pocket expenses on health is relatively high compared to other developed countries due to lack of alternative finance arrangements. The disparity in Out-of-pocket medical expenses largely depends upon the public health expenditure, Government policies and level of health insurance coverage. According to World Bank (2019) estimates, 'Out of Pocket Expenditure' on health accounts for 54.7% in India compared to world average 18%. This is due to the absence of universal health coverage. The objective of the study is to analyze the impact of demographic variable on status of health insurance in India. The study used Logit regression model to examine the association of status of health insurance with socio and demographic variables using National Sample Survey 2018data. This research found that education and occupation have a significant impact on the status of health insurance, among other demographic factors. An increasing awareness on health insurance reduces out-of-pocket medical expenses and subsequently brings down economic poverty.

Out-of-pocket medical expenses is a crucial metric for assessing how well the healthcare system is working towards obtaining universal health coverage in any country.