Study Results from Imperial College Broaden Understanding of Health Insurance (Financial hardship on the path to Universal Health Coverage in the…

Study Results from Imperial College Broaden Understanding of Health Insurance (Financial hardship on the path to Universal Health Coverage in the Gulf States)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Managed Care Weekly Digest -- Fresh data on Health Insurance are presented in a new report. According to news reporting originating in London, United Kingdom, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, "Countries globally are pursuing universal health coverage to ensure better healthcare for their populations and prevent households from catastrophic expenditure. The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have and continue to implement reforms to strengthen their health systems."

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from Imperial College, "A common theme between the countries is their pursuit of universal health coverage to provide access to necessary health care without exposing people to financial hardship. Using nationally representative data from the Global Findex study, we sought to analyze the hardship faced by individuals from four high-income countries in the GCC. We estimated the weighted proportion of individuals borrowing for medical reasons and those who are not able to obtain emergency funds. We further examined variations in these outcomes by key socioeconomic factors. We found up to 11% of respondents borrowed money for medical purposes, double of that reported in other high -income countries. In contrast to affluent respondents, we found that respondents from deprived background were more likely to borrow money for medical purposes (adjusted odds ratio: 1.81, P<0.001) and expected to fail in obtaining emergency funds (adjusted odds ratio: 4.03, P< 0.001)."

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "In moving forward with their reforms, GCC countries should adopt a financing strategy that addresses the health needs of poorer groups in their pursuit of universal health coverage."

For more information on this research see: Financial hardship on the path to Universal Health Coverage in the Gulf States. Health Policy, 2017;121(3):315-320. Health Policy can be contacted at: Elsevier Ireland Ltd, Elsevier House, Brookvale Plaza, East Park Shannon, Co, Clare, 00000, Ireland. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Health Policy - www.journals.elsevier.com/health-policy/)

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting R. Alshamsan, Imperial Coll London, Dept. of Primary Care & Public Hlth, London, United Kingdom. Additional authors for this research include H. Leslie, A. Majeed and M. Kruk (see also Health Insurance).

Keywords for this news article include: London, United Kingdom, Europe, Investment and Finance, Health Insurance, Imperial College.

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