This Policy Brief is based on a joint study conducted by NCAER and the Nossal Institute of Global Health, University of Melbourne, on health seeking pathways in four Indian States. The authors observe that the public expenditure incurred on health in India, at just 0.9 per cent of the GDP, is low, and that the rural poor in the country most often seek medical care from unregulated private providers. This situation can be countered through increased public spending on healthcare to ensure more equitable healthcare access and outcomes.