Will Ayushman Bharat become a model for universal health care?

On May 18, 35-year-old homemaker Puja Thapa, a resident of Meghalaya’s Ri Bhoi district, underwent a minimally invasive surgery to remove kidney stones at Shillong’s Nazareth Hospital. Thapa, as her family found out after the diagnosis, was a beneficiary under the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme. This meant the cost of the surgery and treatment at the private hospital, which came to Rs 36,300, was borne by the scheme.The routine surgery