Reports from World Health Organization Add New Data to Findings in Health Insurance (State budget transfers to Health Insurance to expand coverage to…

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Reports from World Health Organization Add New Data to Findings in Health Insurance (State budget transfers to Health Insurance to expand coverage to people outside formal sector work in Latin America)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- Current study results on Health Insurance have been published. According to news reporting originating in Geneva, Switzerland, by VerticalNews journalists, research stated, "Contributory social health insurance for formal sector employees only has proven challenging for moving towards universal health coverage (UHC). This is because the informally employed and the poor usually remain excluded."

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from World Health Organization, "One way to expand UHC is to fully or partially subsidize health insurance contributions for excluded population groups through government budget transfers. This paper analyses the institutional design features of such government subsidization arrangements in Latin America and assesses their performance with respect to UHC progress. The aim is to identify UHC conducive institutional design features of such arrangements. A literature search provided the information to analyse institutional design features, with a focus on the following aspects: eligibility/enrolment rules, financing and pooling arrangements, and purchasing and benefit package design. Based on secondary data analysis, UHC progress is assessed in terms of improved population coverage, financial protection and access to needed health care services. Such government subsidization arrangements currently exist in eight countries of Latin America (Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay). Institutional design features and UHC related performance vary significantly. Notably, countries with a universalist approach or indirect targeting have higher population coverage rates. Separate pools for the subsidized maintain inequitable access. The relatively large scopes of the benefit packages had a positive impact on financial protection and access to care. In the long term, merging different schemes into one integrated health financing system without opt-out options for the better-off is desirable, while equally expanding eligibility to cover those so far excluded. In the short and medium term, the harmonization of benefit packages could be a priority. UHC progress also depends on substantial supply side investments to ensure the availability of quality services, particularly in rural areas."

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "Future research should generate more evidence on the implementation process and impact of subsidization arrangements on UHC progress."

For more information on this research see: State budget transfers to Health Insurance to expand coverage to people outside formal sector work in Latin America. BMC Health Services Research, 2017;17():1-25. BMC Health Services Research can be contacted at: Biomed Central Ltd, 236 Grays Inn Rd, Floor 6, London WC1X 8HL, England. (BioMed Central - www.biomedcentral.com/; BMC Health Services Research - www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservres/)

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting I. Mathauer, World Hlth Organization, Dept. of Hlth Syst Governance & Financing, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland.

Keywords for this news article include: Geneva, Switzerland, Europe, Investment and Finance, Health Insurance, World Health Organization.