In India alone over 900 million people lack access to any form of financial services for health. For the 700 million people living on less than $2 per day, poverty coupled with the lack of health insurance creates conditions in which even a moderate illness can plunge whole families into insurmountable debt and poverty for several generations. Ashoka is providing support to Ashoka Fellow Mukti Bosco who is applying the Hybrid Value Chain concept to micro health insurance in order to limit the vulnerability of rural populations to health problems and enable them to live healthier lives.

Snapshot of the HVC Model

• The Healing Fields Foundation (HFF) initiated the creation of a micro health insurance market in rural India by developing an innovative insurance product tailored to the needs of rural clients. HFF works along the entire micro health insurance value chain, optimizing resource utilization to improve efficiency and quality of health care and increase affordability of healthcare services to the population at large.
• HFF has partnered with a leading global insurance provider who underwrites the health insurance product, bringing the strength of their size and ability to distribute risk. A critical role of companies is to invest in market development to increase awareness and understanding of health insurance concepts and products. Through the HVC partnership, companies access and develop a critical understanding of an enormous underserved market.
• Ashoka’s deep connections with the citizen sector as well as the private sector position it as a key player to scale up the impact of the model by cultivating and shaping essential partnerships. To reduce risk and increase financial sustainability of the model, Ashoka is utilizing its strong connections with social entrepreneurs to create a network of CSOs who will educate their clients on health insurance and enroll interested parties. Currently Healing Fields is scaling up their model through partnerships with several Ashoka Fellows.

Impact

As of March 2008, almost 60,000 people are insured and have access to necessary health services

Additional Resources

• “How to Improve Health for All: A Framework in Action”
• Ashoka’s Changemakers Competition: How to Improve Health for All