Kerala Government Adds 250 Crore to KASP Health Insurance, Total Allocation Reaches 4,618 Crore

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has approved an additional 250 crore for the Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi (KASP), the state’s health insurance program that covers more than 41.99 lakh poor and vulnerable people.
Finance Minister K N Balagopal announced the decision on Wednesday, stating that the total allocation for KASP so far under the second Pinarayi Vijayan government has reached 4,618 crore.
The scheme, implemented by the state health agency, provides free medical treatment of up to 5 lakh per year for each family, benefiting 41.99 lakh economically weak families. The annual premium per family is 1,050. The state government pays the full premium for 18.02 lakh families, while for another 23.97 lakh families, it contributes 418.80 of the premium, with the remaining amount covered by the central government.
KASP treatment is currently available at 197 government hospitals, four central government hospitals, and 364 private hospitals across Kerala. The minister emphasized that treatment is provided free of cost at all empanelled hospitals, whether government or private.
In addition to KASP, Kerala also runs the Karunya Benevolent Fund (KBF) scheme. Under KBF, families with an annual income below 3 lakh can receive one-time treatment assistance of up to 2 lakh. For kidney-related diseases, treatment worth up to 3 lakh is provided free of cost.