An analysis of three national health insurance proposals in Sub-Saharan Africa

The financing and/or provision of health insurance by government has a theoretical basis: it stems from market failure in the private health insurance market; and, from externalities in the consumption of health care by the poor. Government health insurance, or national health insurance (NHI) may be analysed by using five criteria: who are the beneficiaries?; efficiency effects; the equity of financing; the level of administrative costs; and, political acceptability. In the last five years, Ghana, Zimbabwe and Nigeria have each considered proposals for NHI. However, each proposal shows design flaws, when analysed in the light of the five criteria above. This article first considers types of health insurance in Sub-Saharan Africa, and why NHI, with cost recovery as an essential component, might be desirable. A following section present an outline of the NHI proposals in Ghana, Zimbabwe and Nigeria and points out the design flaws. A final section builds upon the theoretically-good aspects of the three proposals, and considers some alternate approaches to NHI that these three countries and other countries in the Sub-Sahara might want to consider.     

Health economic evaluation based on administrative data from German health insurance

Although the quality of administrative data of German health insurance is relatively good, administrative data are rarely used for the purpose of health economic evaluations in Germany. Health economic evaluations in Germany have so far mainly been performed based on primary data while in other countries the use of secondary data is quite common. The objective of the article is to give an introduction into the possibilities of performing health economic evaluations based on administrative data. First, we show that German health insurance have data sets that allow the follow-up of patients across all sectors of health care. Subsequently, characteristics of primary data and administrative data of health insurance for the purpose of health economic evaluations are compared. Finally we present an overview of recently performed health economic evaluations based on administrative data in Germany and conclude with lessons from other countries on the use of administrative data and implications for Germany.     

Gesundheits?konomische Evaluation auf Grundlage von GKV-Routinedaten

Although the quality of administrative data of German health insurance is relatively good, administrative data are rarely used for the purpose of health economic evaluations in Germany. Health economic evaluations in Germany have so far mainly been performed based on primary data while in other countries the use of secondary data is quite common. The objective of the article is to give an introduction into the possibilities of performing health economic evaluations based on administrative data. First, we show that German health insurance have data sets that allow the follow-up of patients across all sectors of health care. Subsequently, characteristics of primary data and administrative data of health insurance for the purpose of health economic evaluations are compared. Finally we present an overview of recently performed health economic evaluations based on administrative data in Germany and conclude with lessons from other countries on the use of administrative data and implications for Germany.     

Health insurance in America: a vision of health in the world's richest nation

Alone among industrialised countries, the USA does not have a comprehensive national health insurance system. There are some federal and state schemes, but for most people the choice is between hefty private insurance premiums or no coverage at all. Now the establishment of an effective NHI has become a key issue in the presidential campaign, says Reva Klein.     

Health policy in the Baltic countries since the beginning of the 1990s

The objective of this article is to compare the development of health policies in three Baltic countries, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the period from 1992 to 2004 and reflect on whether key dimensions of these policies are developing in parallel, diverging or even converging in some respects. The paper identifies the similarity in the overall goals and compares the policy content in primary health care, the hospital sector and financing. We conclude that health policy in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania has been progressing in parallel towards a Western European social insurance funding model, developing a primary care system anchored on a general practitioner service and lessening the hospital orientation of the pre-1990s system. There is evidence of both convergence and divergence across the three countries and of progress in the direction of EU15 in key health policy and outcome characteristics. These patterns are explained partly by differing starting points and partly by political and economic factors over the 1992-2004 period.     

卫生立法的国际经验对我国的启示

本文通过分析典型国家卫生立法的现状和发展的共同点,结合我国政治、社会和经济环境,对我国《基本卫生法》立法提出政策建议。多数工业化国家都有一个相同的价值观,即政府确保公民不受地域和经济能力的限制享有卫生服务。各国卫生立法都经历了与政治发展同步的数次改革。几乎每一个以公共筹资体系为主的国家,都同时存在商业医疗保险和私人医疗服务,但医疗卫生服务体系很少以市场为主导。所有国家都在向建立整合的协同医疗服务体系方向努力,并已建立了与经济发展和国民收入相适应的、长期稳定的卫生筹资模式。作为卫生领域的根本法,《基本卫生法》应以更宏观的视角对卫生和健康问题的基本定位、基本价值和基本框架进行定位,突出"无论公民的性别、年龄、宗教、社会地位和经济状况,政府都有责任确保其获得基本医疗卫生服务和基本药物"的核心价值观。     

Does universal health insurance make health care unaffordable? Lessons from Taiwan

This paper examines the performance of Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI), a universal health insurance program, implemented in 1995, that covers comprehensive services. The authors address two key questions: Did the NHI cause Taiwanese health spending to escalate to an "unaffordable" level? What are the benefits of the NHI? They find that Taiwan's single-payer NHI system enabled Taiwan to manage health spending inflation and that the resulting savings largely offset the incremental cost of covering the previously uninsured. Under the NHI, the Taiwanese have more equal access to health care, greater financial risk protection, and equity in health care financing. The NHI consistently receives a 70 percent public satisfaction rate.     

Analysis of Healthcare Financing, Supply and Utilisation Trends in the New EU Countries

The EU expanded in 2004 to include eight transition countries, i.e. Central and Eastern European (CEE) and newly independent states of the former Soviet Union, and two other CEE countries are scheduled to join the EU in 2007. Each of these countries has undertaken substantial healthcare reform efforts over the past 15 years. The paths of healthcare reform are diverse for a number of reasons including differences in initial economic, political and structural conditions. The objective of this article is to evaluate the process and preliminary outcomes of healthcare reform in the new EU and candidate countries by analysing trends in aggregate financing, supply and utilisation indicators using data drawn from the WHO Health for All database. The analysis is done in the context of an analytical framework built around common healthcare reform themes. The key reform measures examined include implementing social insurance systems, implementing payment systems that promote efficiency, and removal of excess capacity. The trend analysis highlights the importance of the economic, political and social context in driving the direction and pace of healthcare reform. For example, the transition to social insurance systems was smoother in countries with stronger economies and political commitment to reform. Policies aimed at improving the efficiency of the healthcare system, reducing utilisation and reducing excess capacity were met with some success in all of the countries. However, the reform effort continues as the countries are still addressing the initial challenges of insufficient funding, informal payments, excess capacity and inefficiencies in the provision of healthcare.     

Growing concerns and controversies to Taiwan's National Health Insurance—what are the lessons from mainland China,South Korea and Singapore?

It has been over 20 years since Taiwan's implementation of its National Health Insurance (NHI) program. Under this program, the health insurance coverage rate has reached approximately 99% of the population. Despite guaranteeing the residents of Taiwan equal access regardless of socioeconomic status and background, critical problems and controversies persist, and they continue to challenge the NHI. We analyze the primary issues facing the NHI program with emphasis on financial and consumer behavioral aspects. Furthermore, we apply models from mainland China, South Korea and Singapore to discuss what Taiwan could learn from the systems employed by these countries to modify the NHI. Targeting the needs of the NHI, we have three policy recommendations: separating the NHI scheme into different target populations, strengthening the NHI referral system and regulating the access of overseas citizens to health services while in Taiwan. After two decades in existence, problems persist and there is a continuing need to improve Taiwan's NHI. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Health care reform in South Korea: success or failure?

South Korea is one of the world's most rapidly industrializing countries. Along with industrialization has come universal health insurance. Within the span of 12 years, South Korea went from private voluntary health insurance to government-mandated universal coverage. Since 1997, with the intervention of the International Monetary Fund, Korean national health insurance (NHI) has experienced deficits and disruption. However, there are lessons to be drawn for the United States from the Korean NHI experience.     

National health insurance reform in South Africa

Background

A recent health reform proposal in South Africa proposes universal access to a comprehensive package of healthcare services in the public sector, through the implementation of a national health insurance (NHI) scheme. Implementation of the scheme is likely to involve the introduction of a payroll tax. It is implied that the introduction of the payroll tax will significantly reduce the size of the private health insurance market.

Objective

The objective of this study was to estimate the impact of an NHI payroll tax on the demand for private health insurance in South Africa, and to explore the broader implications for health policy.

Methods

The study applies probit regression analysis on household survey data to estimate the change in demand for private health insurance as a result of income shocks arising from the proposed NHI.

Results

The introduction of payroll taxes for the proposed NHI was estimated to result in a reduction to private health insurance membership of 0.73%. This suggests inelasticity in the demand for private health insurance. In the literature on the subject, this inelasticity is usually due to quality differences between alternatives. In the South African context, there may be other factors at play.

Conclusion

An NHI tax may have a very small impact on the demand for private health insurance. Although additional financial resources will be raised through a payroll tax under the proposed NHI reform, systemic problems within the South African health system can adversely affect the ability of the NHI to translate additional finances into better quality healthcare. If these systemic challenges are not adequately addressed, the introduction of a payroll tax could introduce inefficiencies within the South African health system.     

Key performance indicators for the implementation of social health insurance

Several low- and middle-income countries are interested in extending their existing health insurance for specific groups to eventually cover their entire populations. For those countries interested in such an extension, it is important to understand what characterises a well performing social health insurance scheme. This article provides a simple framework to analyse key performance issues related to the functions of health financing within the context of social health insurance. The framework first illustrates how performance in the health financing functions of revenue collection, pooling and purchasing affects the realisation of health financing targets of resource generation, optimal resource use and financial accessibility of health services for all. Then, within each health financing function, key performance issues and associated measurable indicators are developed. The set of performance indicators provided in this article should help policy makers to monitor the development of social health insurance schemes and identify areas for improvement. In doing so, policy makers can come closer to achieving universal coverage -- access to appropriate healthcare for all at an affordable cost -- the ultimate goal of social health insurance.     

Policy challenges in US health care system reform

Once again, efforts are being made to overhaul the US health care system. Democrats and Republicans have conflicting views on how to repair this ailing system. However, this is not a new phenomenon. Reformers have long struggled to form a universal health care system only to find themselves in conflict with groups whose financial stake is threatened as well as numerous labor associations who are concerned about a loss of power. This struggle is also caused by differences in ideologies. This article surveys social movements for national health insurance (NHI) that occurred in the United States and will examine features that prevented NHI policy formation.     

Insurance and coverage: two critical topics in health care reforms]

The goal of health for all in the year 2000, which was established at Alma Ata more than two decades ago, has led countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to adopt health sector reforms aimed at extending health coverage to each and every individual citizen. Whereas much has come about as a result of reform policies in the way of theory and legislation, in practice the goals that were established are far from attained, and many countries show large gaps in theoretical coverage on the one hand, and true coverage on the other. This is largely due to organizational features and other "endogenous" characteristics of the various countries' health systems, as well as to "exogenous" factors in the political, macroeconomic, social, epidemiologic, and cultural spheres. This documents takes a close look at the different types of health systems that are currently operating in countries of the Region and their impact on sources of health insurance and health coverage for individuals living in those countries. The end of the article focuses on the different strategies adopted by the countries in an effort to extend health coverage, which in some cases involve policies targeting the most vulnerable social groups.     

Regulating health care markets in China and India

Health care markets in China and India have expanded rapidly. The regulatory response has lagged behind in both countries and has followed a different pathway in each. Using the examples of front-line health providers and health insurance, this paper discusses how their different approaches have emerged from their own historical and political contexts and have led to different ways to address the main regulatory questions concerning quality of care, value for money, social agreement, and accountability. In both countries, the challenge is to build trust-based institutions that rely less on state-dominated approaches to regulation and involve other key actors.     

Brain drain from developing countries: how can brain drain be converted into wisdom gain?

Brain drain is defined as the migration of health personnel in search of the better standard of living and quality of life, higher salaries, access to advanced technology and more stable political conditions in different places worldwide. This migration of health professionals for better opportunities, both within countries and across international borders, is of growing concern worldwide because of its impact on health systems in developing countries. Why do talented people leave their countries and go abroad? What are the consequences of such migrations especially on the educational sector? What policies can be adopted to stem such movements from developing countries to developed countries? This article seeks to raise questions, identify key issues and provide solutions which would enable immigrant health professionals to share their knowledge, skills and innovative capacities and thereby enhancing the economic development of their countries.     

Health, human development, and governance in Latin America and the Caribbean at the beginning of the 21st century]

The issue of the reciprocal relationship between health and development has recently taken on greater importance in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), given the persistence of extreme poverty and the political and social difficulties due to macroeconomic imbalances and crises of governance. This piece reviews concepts of sustainable human development, social determinants of health in general and of health inequities in particular (gender, ethnic group, income level), and the relationship between health and economic growth in the medium term and the long term. An analysis is made of how persistent poverty in countries of LAC relates to disparities in health conditions, access to health services, and health care financing, as well as to such health determinants as nutrition and environmental sanitation. Health inequities most strongly affect the most excluded and vulnerable sectors of the population. In the face of this situation, the author stresses that putting a priority on health inequities is vital to safeguarding the governability and the social and political stability of countries in LAC in the next decade.     

中国医疗卫生:挑战与出路

疾病风险可以引发经济风险、社会风险甚至政治风险。国内外都对疾病风险的防范给予高度重视,很多国家通过制度为百姓提供医疗保障,化解由疾病风险引发的其他风险。通过对中国疾病风险严重程度的分析,指出“看病难、看病贵”问题的核心原因是政府公共服务职能的缺失,这种缺失表现为社会保障制度的缺失和医疗公共筹资制度的弱化。为此,在发展战略选择上,主张选择以健康为核心的发展战略,以改革推动事业发展。在改革路径选择方面,提出以筹资模式的转变为突破口,促进医疗卫生服务管理模式、服务模式以及就医模式的转变。从而,全面实现推动以健康为核心的发展模式。     

Psychiatric inpatient expenditures and public health insurance programmes: analysis of a national database covering the entire South Korean population

Background  

Medical spending on psychiatric hospitalization has been reported to impose a tremendous socio-economic burden on many developed countries with public health insurance programmes. However, there has been no in-depth study of the factors affecting psychiatric inpatient medical expenditures and differentiated these factors across different types of public health insurance programmes. In view of this, this study attempted to explore factors affecting medical expenditures for psychiatric inpatients between two public health insurance programmes covering the entire South Korean population: National Health Insurance (NHI) and National Medical Care Aid (AID).     

Public support for National Health Insurance.

In 1978 a majority of the American public felt there was a need for National Health Insurance (NHI). This study develops models of public support for NHI both with and without a tax subsidy. Support for NHI is highest among the young, lower socioeconomic groups, non-Whites, and urbanites. The older, more educated, White, and rural population are less supportive. In addition, substantial differences exist across political party orientation and health insurance status. Although support for NHI declines by considering a tax subsidy, logit estimates remain relatively stable. Only age and socioeconomic status lose statistical significance when the tax issue is considered.