title: Healthcare seeking behaviour among self-help group households in Rural Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In recent years, supported by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), a number of community-based health insurance (CBHI) schemes have been operating in rural India. Such schemes design their benefit packages according to local priorities. This paper examines healthcare seeking behaviour among self-help group households with a view to understanding the implications for the benefit packages offered by such schemes.
  
  
  METHODS
  We use cross-sectional data collected from two of India's poorest states and estimate an alternative-specific conditional logit model to examine healthcare seeking behaviour.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We find that the majority of respondents do access some form of care and that there is overwhelming use of private providers. Non-degree allopathic providers (NDAP) also called rural medical practitioners are the most popular providers. In the case of acute illnesses, proximity plays an important role in determining provider choice. For chronic illnesses, cost of care influences provider choice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Given the importance of proximity in determining provider choice, benefit packages offered by CBHI schemes should consider coverage of transportation costs and reimbursement of foregone earnings.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Policy and Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, J5-23, P.O. Box 1738, 3000, DR, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Wameq.r@gmail.com.|Research and Evaluation Division, BRAC, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Wameq.r@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Wameq A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Raza
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health Policy and Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Van de Poel
authors.affiliation: Micro Insurance Academy, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Pradeep
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Panda
authors.affiliation: Micro Insurance Academy, India and Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Hague, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dror
authors.affiliation: International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands and Georgetown University, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Arjun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bedi
mesh_terms: D003256:Community Participation; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005191:Family Characteristics; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007348:Insurance, Health; D007349:Insurance, Health, Reimbursement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011203:Poverty; D012424:Rural Population; D012657:Self-Help Groups