Globally, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account for 71% of deaths and 15 million premature deaths annually (WHO, 2018). The burden of NCDs in Asia and the Pacific region follows a similar trend, with 70% of all deaths attributed to NCDs, which are expected to rise significantly by 2030 (WHO, 2019). In India, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs), and diabetes are responsible for 55% of deaths and a substantial proportion of premature mortality (WHO, 2018). 

The economic burden of NCDs is equally staggering. Globally, NCDs are expected to cost $47 trillion by 2030 (WHO, 2018). Likewise, India's economy faced losses of $237 billion in 2018, which are projected to rise to $472 billion by 2030 (WHO, 2018). 

Countries worldwide are moving towards Universal Health Coverage, and national health insurance programs are now being implemented in many countries. Often, these national health insurance schemes have defined benefits coverage for covered populations. Most of these programs also cover NCDs as part of their benefits package, and a substantial part of their claims payments are on NCDs. To ensure that provisions are not misused, countries have also developed mechanisms to prevent or control fraud and abuse.

India, the most populous country in the world, launched a national health insurance program in 2018. The program now covers over 650 million people, especially the poor and vulnerable. The Indian insurance program provides only inpatient benefits, but NCDs are a significant part of it. In Southeast Asia, Indonesia has undertaken landmark reforms to merge various health insurance programs into one program, which aims to cover everybody in the country. The Indonesian program has a comprehensive package that includes NCDs.

This webinar explored experiences from South and Southeast Asia in using their respective national health insurance schemes and innovative financing to tackle NCDs. It shared lessons learned and discussed the critical barriers and enablers to ensure that NCDs are managed well within the program scope. The governments of these countries still have vertical programs related to NCDs that run in parallel to national health insurance. The challenge is to align these programs and remove duplications. 

The webinar examined the strategies and experiences of these two regions regarding leveraging national health insurance programs to manage NCDs, including challenges and lessons learned.