In 2008, India launched a flagship national health insurance programme, the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) for those living below the poverty line (BPL).1 Using qualitative methods and thematic analysis, this exploratory study of poor women from three selected districts of West Bengal sought to gauge reasons for low registration and factors affecting choice of institutional healthcare among those who had registered for the RSBY. In particular, we sought to understand the underlying factors, if any, which affect judgements on institutional healthcare.
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