Willingness and economic capacity to pay user charges for health care services.

The present paper from NIHFW study has attempted to touch upon some of these important economic dimensions through the field data collected for nearly 4000 community responses from rural and urban areas. As a matter of fact the common household responses on WTP and ATP within the framework of stark realities -- that people by and large are already paying huge amount to private health care set ups would provide an insight to rationally tap and divert existing alternate source of "out of pocket financing" by households for more effective health care delivery by government whom they still rely upon. Many studies including the present one indicates that people have relatively more confidence in government health care services even with their committed criticisms. In this context it is understood that Health care sector reforms are virtually the health care financing reforms. The user charges and user fees their feasibility and considering them to administer manage utilize within the perspectives of economic concepts and approaches of welfare are the concrete steps and a march forward towards health sector reforms. Willingness and ability to pay would also be required to be considered whether community should pay through direct payments for health care services as and when the need for health care arises or through individual or community group financing or alternatively through micro health insurance schemes at individual as well as at community levels. (excerpt)