Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) Availing Among Middle and Old Age Migrants: A Study of National Health Insurance Programme in India

Migration seems to be a factor in healthcare use, especially in India, among the elderly population. The accessibility of healthcare for migrants in developing countries such as India is essential, and understanding various socio-demographic phenomena is crucial to designing more effective policies. This study focuses on the status and determinants of availing Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) among the middle and old age migrant population in India. This study used data from the first wave of Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) from 2017 to 2018. The outcome variable was used as RSBY availing, and binary logistic regression was used to explore the availability or utility of the RSBY healthcare scheme among the elderly migrant population. The result illustrates that only 11.09% of the elderly migrant population is availing the scheme. Kerala, Mizoram, Tripura, and Odisha have the highest availing of the scheme, while Assam, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, and Jharkhand are at the bottom. Determinant factors like religion, social category, working status, household (HH) MPCE wealth, and regions were more significant in influencing elderly migrants in availing the RSBY scheme. This study contributes to understanding the availing or utility of the RSBY scheme and the elderly migrant population. Focusing on the finding’s outcomes, the government, policymakers, and decision-makers may consider improving the policy framework to access this scheme among migrants as well as the general elderly population within the country by implementing various campaigns and conducting awareness programmes at the local level for availing large number in this national-level scheme.