Dataset Information

Seeking care in the context of social health insurance in Kenya and Ghana.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Social Health Insurance (SHI) is widely used by countries attempting to move toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC). While evidence suggests that SHI is a promising strategy for achieving UHC, low-income countries often struggle to implement and sustain SHI systems. It is therefore important to understand how SHI enrollees use health insurance and how it affects their health-seeking behavior. This paper examines how SHI affects patient decision-making regarding when and where to seek care in Kenya and Ghana, two countries with established SHI systems in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS:This paper draws from two datasets collected under the African Health Markets for Equity (AHME) program. One dataset, collected in 2013 and 2017 as part of the AHME qualitative evaluation, consists of 106 semi-structured clinic exit interviews conducted with patients in Ghana and Kenya. This data was analyzed using an inductive, thematic approach. The second dataset was collected internally by the AHME partner organizations. It derives from a cross-sectional survey of social franchise clients at three social franchise networks supported by AHME. Data collection took place from February - May 2018 and in December 2018. RESULTS:Many clients appreciated that insurance coverage made healthcare more affordable, reported seeking care more frequently when covered with SHI. Clients also noted that the coverage gave them access to a wider variety of providers, but rarely sought out SHI-accredited providers specifically. However, clients sometimes were charged for services that should have been covered by insurance. Due to a lack of understanding of SHI benefits, clients rarely knew they had been charged inappropriately. CONCLUSIONS:Clients and providers would benefit from education on what is included in the SHI package. Providers should be monitored and held accountable for charging clients inappropriately; in Ghana this should be accompanied by reforms to make government financing for SHI sustainable. Since clients valued provider proximity and both Kenya and Ghana have a dearth of providers in rural areas, both countries should incentivize providers to work in these areas and prioritize accrediting rural facilities into SHI schemes to increase accessibility and reach.

SUBMITTER: Suchman L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7197151 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Seeking care in the context of social health insurance in Kenya and Ghana.

Suchman Lauren L Hashim Catherine Verde CV Adu Joseph J Mwachandi Rita R

BMC public health 20200504 1

<h4>Background</h4>Social Health Insurance (SHI) is widely used by countries attempting to move toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC). While evidence suggests that SHI is a promising strategy for achieving UHC, low-income countries often struggle to implement and sustain SHI systems. It is therefore important to understand how SHI enrollees use health insurance and how it affects their health-seeking behavior. This paper examines how SHI affects patient decision-making regarding when and where ...[more]

PMID: 32366310

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Project description:BackgroundIncorporating private healthcare providers into social health insurance schemes is an important means towards achieving universal health coverage in low and middle income countries. However, little research has been conducted about why private providers choose to participate in social health insurance systems in such contexts, or their experiences with these systems. We explored private providers' perceptions of and experiences with participation in two different social health insurance schemes in Sub-Saharan Africa-the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Ghana and the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) in Kenya.MethodsIn-depth interviews were held with providers working at 79 facilities of varying sizes in three regions of Kenya (N = 52) and three regions of Ghana (N = 27). Most providers were members of a social franchise network. Interviews covered providers' reasons for (non) enrollment in the health insurance system, their experiences with the accreditation process, and benefits and challenges with the system. Interviews were coded in Atlas.ti using an open coding approach and analyzed thematically.ResultsMost providers in Ghana were NHIS-accredited and perceived accreditation to be essential to their businesses, despite challenges they encountered due to long delays in claims reimbursement. In Kenya, fewer than half of providers were NHIF-accredited and several said that their clientele were not NHIF enrolled. Understanding of how the NHIF functioned was generally low. The lengthy and cumbersome accreditation process also emerged as a major barrier to providers' participation in the NHIF in Kenya, but the NHIS accreditation process was not a major concern for providers in Ghana.ConclusionsIn expanding social health insurance, coordinated efforts are needed to increase coverage rates among underserved populations while also accrediting the private providers who serve those populations. Market pressure was a key force driving providers to gain and maintain accreditation in both countries. Developing mechanisms to engage private providers as stakeholders in social health insurance schemes is important to incentivizing their participation and addressing their concerns.

Project description:BackgroundThe National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was introduced in Ghana in 2003, enrolment is still far from the desired target of universal coverage. Low community engagement in the design and management of the system was identified as one of the main barriers. The aim of the current study was to explore the role of social capital in NHIS enrolment in two regions of Ghana, Western and Greater Accra.MethodsThe study involved a cluster-randomised controlled trial of 3246 clients of 64 healthcare facilities who completed both a baseline and a follow-up survey. Thirty-two facilities were randomly selected to receive two types of intervention. The remaining facilities served as control. The interventions were co-designed with stakeholders. Baseline and follow up surveys included measures of different types of social capital, as well as enrolment in the health insurance scheme.ResultsThe study found that the interventions encouraged NHIS enrolment (from 40.29 to 49.39% (intervention group) versus 36.49 to 36.75% (control group)). Secondly, certain types of social capital are associated with increased enrolment (log-odds ratios (p-values) of three types of vertical social capital are 0.127 (< 0.01), 0.0952 (< 0.1) and 0.15 (< 0.01)). Effectiveness of the interventions was found dependent on initial levels of social capital: respondents with lowest measured level of interpersonal trust in the intervention group were about 25% more likely to be insured than similar respondents in the control group. Among highly trusting respondents this difference was insignificant. There was however no evidence that the interventions effect social capital. Limitations of the study are discussed.ConclusionWe showed that the interventions helped to increase enrolment but that the positive effect was not realized by changes in social capital that we hypothesised based on result of the first phase of our study. Future research should aim to identify other community factors that are part of the enrolment process, whether other interventions to improve the quality of services could help to increase enrolment and, as a result, could provide community benefits in terms of social capital.Our findings can guide the NHIS in Ghana and other health organizations to enhance enrolment.Trial registrationEthical Clearance by Ghana Health Service Ethical Committee No. GHS-ERC 08.5.11.

Project description:ImportanceCharacteristics of a health care system can facilitate forgoing of health care owing to economic reasons and can influence population health. Whether health insurance deductibles are associated with forgoing of health care in a consumer-driven health care system with universal coverage, such as the Swiss health system, remains to be determined.ObjectiveTo assess the association between insurance plan deductibles and forgoing of health care with consideration of socioeconomic factors.Design, setting, and participantsThis cross-sectional study was conducted in Geneva, Switzerland, using data collected from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2019. Population-based samples were obtained yearly through random stratified sampling by age and sex of the general population aged 20 to 74 years. Participants were invited to an appointment at 1 of the 3 study sites in Geneva, where they completed a sociodemographic and health questionnaire.ExposuresInsurance plan deductible level.Main outcomes and measuresThe main outcome was forgoing of health care owing to economic reasons. Unadjusted and multivariable Poisson models were used to assess the association between deductible level and forgoing of health care. Differences in forgoing health care across the range of health insurance deductibles or household income levels were quantified using the relative index of inequality (RII).ResultsThe study group included 11 872 participants (5974 [50.3%] male; median age, 48.1 years [interquartile range, 38.7-59.1 years]); 1146 (9.7%) reported forgoing health care. Participants with high-deductible plans reported forgoing health care more frequently than those with low-deductible plans (331 [13.5%] vs 591 [8.7%]). In adjusted analysis, higher-deductible plans were associated with a greater likelihood of forgoing health care (RII, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.7-3.0; P < .001) independently of socioeconomic status, known comorbidities, and cardiovascular risk factors. Deductible level was associated with forgoing of health care among participants younger than 40 years (RII, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.6-4.0; P < .001) and those aged 40 to 64 years (RII, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.3-2.9; P = .002) but not among those older than 65 years (RII, 2.9; 95% CI, 0.8-10.4; P = .11).Conclusions and relevanceIn this cross-sectional study, high insurance plan deductibles were associated with forgoing of health care independent of socioeconomic status and preexisting conditions in a universal consumer-driven health care system with good population outcomes in Switzerland. Uncovering health care system design features that could lead to suboptimal population care may help decision makers improve their current health care system design to achieve better outcomes.

Project description:BackgroundGhana introduced capitation payment method in 2012 but was faced with resistance from provider groups and civil society organizations for its perceived negative effects on quality care delivery. This study seeks to explore the views of providers to understand their preferred payment method for the various types of services they provide in order to inform the discussion and negotiations during this period of reform. Findings will not only aid the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to improve the implementation arrangements but also provide useful inputs for other low and middle-income countries (LMICs) in their quest to reform their provider payment systems.Materials and methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of 200 credentialed health care providers' in the three regions of Ghana on providers' preference for payment method. We administered closed-ended questionnaires employing 5-point Likert scales for measurement of payment method preference. Descriptive and regression analysis were performed to examine healthcare providers' background characteristics and their association with preferred payment method for primary care.ResultsIn general, health care providers prefer the Ghana-Diagnosis-Related Grouping (G-DRG) payment method to fee-for-service and capitation payment methods. Result of bivariate analyses showed that healthcare providers' preference for payment method for primary outpatient services differed significantly by their region of residence (p<0.001). The multinomial logic model showed that being a female (p = 0.013) or healthcare provider in the Volta region (p = 0.008) was significantly associated with health provider preference for G-DRG payment method relative to fee-for-service. Similarly, being a healthcare provider in the Volta region (p = 0.026) or Medical Assistant (p = 0.032) was significantly associated with capitation relative to fee-for-service payment method.ConclusionWe conclude that the most preferred payment method across all regions is the G-DRG. However, whereas providers in the Volta region are not willing to accept capitation as payment method, this was not the case in Ashanti and Central regions. Capitation payment method as an option for primary care services in Ghana should, therefore, not be ruled out of the discussion.

Dataset Information

Seeking care in the context of social health insurance in Kenya and Ghana.

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Seeking care in the context of social health insurance in Kenya and Ghana.

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