Assessing the feasibility of community health insurance in Uganda: A mixed-methods exploratory analysis

Factors influencing the utilisation of National health insurance program in urban areas of Nepal: Insights from qualitative study

Health insurance has been recognised as a crucial policy measure to enhance citizens' well-being by reducing the financial burden globally. Nepal has also adopted this scheme to support achieving universal health coverage. Various factors influence the overall performance of the program in Nepal. However, there is a lack of evidence on how different factors have influenced the insurance program in the Nepalese context. Therefore, this study aims to explore facilitators and barriers to the utilisation of national health insurance services among service users and other stakeholders. A qualitative study was conducted by interviewing both demand-side participants and supply-side participants in the Bhaktapur District of Nepal. Thematic network analysis was used to analyse data using RQDA software. The socio-ecological model guides the presentation of the identified factors. The study followed the COREQ guidelines to ensure standard reporting of the results. Factors that encourage the use of health insurance services involve individual, community, and policy-related factors. These factors encompass changes in seeking treatment, assistance during enrollment and renewal by enrollment assistant, proximity to the initial point of contact for care, and policy features like individual cards, contribution amount and cashless treatment system. Likewise, lack of physical infrastructure, poor staff management, long waiting times, poor medicine availability, and delays in budget reimbursement were perceived as organisational barriers. At the interpersonal level, obstacles encompass challenges related to staff behaviour, interpersonal relationships, and the information provided by service providers. Identified health services delivery barriers at different levels emphasised the critical need for improving the quality of healthcare and services delivery mechanisms. Overcoming these obstacles is essential for realising health insurance scheme objectives and progressing toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Risk of functional disability associated with solid fuel use and population impact of reducing indoor air pollution in China: A national cohort study

Background

In China, numerous people still rely on solid fuel for household use. To date, the association between household solid fuel use and functional disability, and what benefit reducing household solid fuel usage could bring at the population level to China remain unclear.

Method

Data were from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Household fuel was classified as clean or solid for cooking or heating. Functional disability was defined as difficulties in any item of activities of daily living (ADL) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). The associations of household fuel use in 2011 and its transitions between 2011 and 2013 with subsequent ADL or IADL disability were assessed with Cox proportional-hazards models. The number of events prevented in a population (NEPP) was generated to estimate how many functionally disabled patients could be prevented by reducing solid fuel usage.

Results

A total of 6,216 and 9,716 participants without prior ADL or IADL disability in 2011 were included. Solid (vs. clean) fuel users were more likely to develop ADL and IADL disability, with hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of 1.37 (1.28~1.45) and 1.38 (1.31~1.46) for using both solid cooking and heating fuel. Furthermore, participants that switched heating fuel from solid to clean (vs. keep solid) were about 20% less likely to develop functional disability. Cooking fuel use switching from solid to clean (vs. keep solid) was also negatively associated with IADL disability (HR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.74~0.96). Over the next 7 years, raising clean fuel usage to 80% could prevent about 4.9 million ADL disability and 2.6 million IADL disability among Chinese aged 45 and older.

Conclusion

Household solid fuel use was a risk factor for functional disability. Reducing solid fuel usage could help reduce the burden of functional disability in the current aging society of China.

Health Coverage and Financial Protection in Uganda: A Political Economy Perspective

BACKGROUND

As countries health financing policies are expected to support progress towards universal health coverage (UHC), an analysis of these policies is particularly relevant in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In 2001, the government of Uganda abolished user-fees to improve accessibility to health services for the population. However, after almost 20 years, the incidence of catastrophic health expenditures is still very high, and the health financing system does not provide a pooled prepayment scheme at national level such as an integrated health insurance scheme. This article aims at analysing the Ugandan experience of health financing reforms with a specific focus on financial protection. Financial protection represents a key pillar of UHC and has been central to health systems reforms even before the launch of the UHC definition.

METHODS

The qualitative study adopts a political economy perspective and it is based on a desk review of relevant documents and a multi-level stakeholder analysis based on 60 key informant interviews (KIIs) in the health sector.

RESULTS

We find that the current political situation is not yet conducive for implementing a UHC system with widespread financial protection: dominant interests and ideologies do not create a net incentive to implement a comprehensive scheme for this purpose. The health financing landscape remains extremely fragmented, and community-based initiatives to improve health coverage are not supported by a clear government stewardship.

CONCLUSION

By examining the negotiation process for health financing reforms through a political economy perspective, this article intends to advance the debate about politically-tenable strategies for achieving UHC and widespread financial protection for the population in LMICs.

The longitudinal effect of the atherogenic index of plasma on type 2 diabetes in middle-aged and older Chinese

AIMS

Atherogenic Index of Plasma (AIP) has been proposed as a novel marker of plasma atherogenicity, but its longitudinal predictive value in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains unclear. We aimed to assess the associations of AIP and its longitudinal transition with T2DM among middle-aged and older Chinese.

METHODS

Data were extracted from four rounds of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011, 2013, 2015, and 2018). AIP was calculated as log₁₀ (triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol). Participants were classified into high and low AIP groups at baseline, and subsequently into four transition patterns during follow-up: maintained-high, maintained-low, high-to-low, and low-to-high AIP. Multivariable Cox frailty models were applied to explore the longitudinal transition patterns of AIP on the development of T2DM.

RESULTS

A total of 8760 subjects without T2DM were selected in 2011, of which 981 developed T2DM until 2018. When compared with people with maintained-low AIP patterns, those with transition patterns of maintained-high AIP, high-to-low AIP, and low-to-high AIP were at around 1.5 times higher risk of T2DM (HR_adj = 1.69, 1.32, and 1.47, respectively, all P < 0.05). However, the risk of T2DM did not decrease in the high-to-low AIP group as compared to the maintained-high AIP group.

CONCLUSIONS

Three longitudinal AIP transition patterns (maintained-high AIP, high-to-low AIP, and low-to-high AIP) were associated with the development of T2DM. Preventions are needed to combat T2DM at an early dyslipidemic stage.

Dropping out of voluntary community-based health insurance in rural Uganda: Evidence from a cross-sectional study in rural south-western Uganda

AIM

Community Based Health Insurance (CBHI) schemes have become central to health systems financing as avenues of achieving universal health coverage in developing countries. Yet, while emphasis in research and policy has mainly concentrated on enrolment, very little has been apportioned to high rates of dropping out after initial enrolment. The main aim of this study is to understand the factors behind CBHI dropping out through a cross-sectional quantitative research design to gain insights into curtailing the drop out of CBHI in Uganda.

METHODS

The survey for the quantitative research component took place between August 2015 and March 2016 covering 464 households with under-5 children in south-western Uganda. To understand the factors associated with dropping out of CBHI, we employ a multivariate logistic regression on a subsample of 251 households who were either currently enrolled or had enrolled at one time and later dropped out.

RESULTS

Overall, we find that 25.1 percent of the households that had ever enrolled in insurance reported dropping out. Household socioeconomic status (wealth) was one of the key factors that associated with dropping out. Larger household sizes and distance from the hospital were significantly associated with dropping out. More socially connected households were less likely to drop out revealing the influence of community social capital in keeping households insured.

CONCLUSION

The findings have implications for addressing equity and inclusion concerns in community-based health insurance programmes such as one in south-western Uganda. Even when community based informal system aim for inclusion of the poorest, they are not enough and often the poorest of the poor slip into the cracks and remain uninsured or drop out. Moreover, policy interventions toward curtailing high dropout rates should be considered to ensure financial sustainability of CBHI schemes.

Financial protection and coping strategies in rural Uganda: an impact evaluation of community-based zero-interest healthcare loans

In low- and middle-income countries, catastrophic health expenditures and economic hardship constitute a common risk for households' welfare. Community health financing (CHF) represents a viable option to improve financial protection, but robust impact evaluations are needed to advance the debate concerning universal health coverage in informal settings. This study aims at assessing the impact of a CHF pilot programme and, specifically, of the initial phase involving zero-interest loans on health expenditures and coping strategies in a rural district of Uganda. The analysis relies on a panel household survey performed before and after the intervention and complemented by qualitative data obtained from structured focus group discussions. Exploiting an instrumental variable approach, we measured the causal effect of the intervention, and the main findings were then integrated with qualitative evidence on the heterogeneity of the programme's impact across different household categories. We found that the intervention of zero-interest healthcare loans is effective in improving financial protection and longer-term welfare. Community perceptions suggested that the population excluded from the scheme is disadvantaged when facing unpredictable health costs. Among the enrolled members, the poorest seem to receive a greater benefit from the intervention. Overall, our study provides support for the positive role of community-based mechanisms to progress towards universal coverage and offers policy-relevant insights to timely design comprehensive health financing reforms.

Transition of Hypertriglyceridemic-Waist Phenotypes and the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese: A National Cohort Study

The rapid economic growth and nutritional changes in China have brought an increased burden of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This study aimed to assess the effects of hypertriglyceridemic-waist (HTW) and its dynamic transitions on incident T2DM among middle-aged and older Chinese. Data were extracted from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). Participants were classified into three HTW phenotypes, namely NTNW (normal triglyceride (TG) and waist circumference (WC)), NTEW/ETNW (normal TG and enlarged WC, or elevated TG and normal WC) and ETEW (elevated TG and enlarged WC). Multivariable Cox frailty models were used to assess the associations of HTW phenotypes and their transitions over time with the risk of T2DM. A total of 7397 subjects without T2DM were included, of which 849 developed T2DM during 2011-2018. Compared with individuals with NTNW, people in the NTEW/ETNW group and ETEW group were at a significantly higher risk of T2DM (HR_NTEW/ETNW = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.06-1.54 and HR_ETEW = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.26-2.06). For subjects with NTNW at baseline, the risk of developing T2DM increased by 38% and 83% if their metabolic status changed to NTEW/ETNW and ETEW, respectively. For subjects with NTEW/ETNW, the risk of T2DM decreased by 33% when their metabolic status changed to normal (NTNW); but the risk increased by 49% if the status became more serious (ETEW). NTEW/ETNW, ETEW and their transitions to adverse states were risk factors for T2DM.

Determinants of Enrolment and Renewing of Community-Based Health Insurance in Households With Under-5 Children in Rural South-Western Uganda

BACKGROUND

The desire for universal health coverage in developing countries has brought attention to communitybased health insurance (CBHI) schemes in developing countries. The government of Uganda is currently debating policy for the national health insurance programme, targeting the integration of existing CBHI schemes into a larger national risk pool. However, while enrolment has been largely studied in other countries, it remains a generally under-covered issue from a Ugandan perspective. Using a large CBHI scheme, this study, therefore, aims at shedding more light on the determinants of households' decisions to enrol and renew membership in these schemes.

METHODS

We collected household data from 464 households in 14 villages served by a large CBHI scheme in southwestern Uganda. We then estimated logistic and zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) regressions to understand the determinants of enrolment and renewing membership in CBHI, respectively.

RESULTS

Results revealed that household's socioeconomic status, husband's employment in rural casual work (odds ratio [OR]: 2.581, CI: 1.104-6.032) and knowledge of health insurance premiums (OR: 17.072, CI: 7.027-41.477) were significant predictors of enrolment. Social capital and connectivity, assessed by the number of voluntary groups a household belonged to, was also positively associated with CBHI participation (OR: 5.664, CI: 2.927-10.963). More positive perceptions on insurance (OR: 2.991, CI: 1.273-7.029), access to information were also associated with enrolment and renewing among others. Burial group size and number of burial groups in a village, were all significantly associated with increased the likelihood of renewing CBHI.

CONCLUSION

While socioeconomic factors remain important predictors of participation in insurance, mechanisms to promote inclusion should be devised. Improving the participation of communities can enhance trust in insurance and eventual coverage. Moreover, for households already insured, access to correct information and strengthening their social network information pathways enhances their chances of renewing.

Community perceptions on demand-side incentives to promote institutional delivery in Oyam district, Uganda: a qualitative study

OBJECTIVE

To examine the perceptions of community members and other stakeholders on the use of baby kits and transport vouchers to improve the utilisation of childbirth services.

DESIGN

A qualitative study.

SETTING

Oyam district, Uganda.

PARTICIPANTS

We conducted 10 focus group discussions with 59 women and 55 men, and 18 key informant interviews with local leaders, village health team members, health facility staff and district health management team members. We analysed the data using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

Five broad themes emerged: (1) context, (2) community support for the interventions, (3) health-seeking behaviours postintervention, (4) undesirable effects of the interventions and (5) implementation issues and lessons learnt. Context regarded perceived long distances to health facilities and high transport costs. Regarding community support for the interventions, the schemes were perceived to be acceptable and helpful particularly to the most vulnerable. Transport vouchers were preferred over baby kits, although both interventions were perceived to be necessary. Health-seeking behaviours entailed perceived increased utilisation of maternal health services and 'bypassing', promotion of collaboration between traditional birth attendants and formal health workers, stimulation of men's involvement in maternal health, and increased community awareness of maternal health. Undesirable effects of the interventions included increased workload for health workers, sustainability concerns and perceived encouragement to reproduce and dependency. Implementation issues included information gaps leading to confusion, mistrust and discontent, transport voucher scheme design; implementation; and payment problems, poor attitude of some health workers and poor quality of care, insecurity, and a shortage of baby kits. Community involvement was key to solving the challenges.

CONCLUSIONS

The study provides further insights into the implementation of incentive schemes to improve maternal health services utilisation. The findings are relevant for planning and implementing similar schemes in low-income countries.

Assessing the feasibility and appropriateness of introducing a national health insurance scheme in Malawi

Background

In May 2015 the Malawian Ministry of Health (MOH) contacted the German Development Cooperation to seek technical assistance from the P4H Network for Social Health Protection for an "Assessment of the appropriateness and feasibility of National Health Insurance in Malawi" against two alternative options: continuing with a tax (and donor)-funded National Health Service, and introducing a purchaser-provider split without a revenue collection function.

Methods

A health financing benchmarking matrix was agreed with MOH, with six domains corresponding to six objectives: revenue mobilisation, technical efficiency, equity, financial risk protection, policy coordination, and health outcomes. The assessment comprised key informant interviews with Malawian stakeholders, a review of the relevant literature and datasets, rapid assessments of the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) and the Unified Beneficiary Registry (UBR), and projections of the National Health Insurance Scheme's (NHIS) revenue collection costs and benefits.

Results

A key finding was that introducing NHIS in Malawi would increase revenues for health, but these would come predominantly from the formal sector and would be unlikely to cover the health sector funding gap. The performance of existing poverty identification and targeting mechanisms was not commensurate with the requirements of a NHIS. Incentives to enrol in NHI are insufficient to reach scale unless service fees be introduced, which would negatively affect equity and financial risk protection. The assessment identified the Purchaser Scenario as the most favourable reform model.

Conclusions

As ever more countries look towards implementing National Health Insurance, the proposed assessment framework can provide an orientation for evidence-based policy making in the area of health financing.