Treatment-seeking behaviour and social health insurance in Africa: the case of Ghana under the National Health Insurance Scheme

TY - JOUR

T1 - Treatment-seeking behaviour and social health insurance in Africa

T2 - the case of Ghana under the National Health Insurance Scheme

AU - Fenny, Ama P

AU - Asante, Felix A

AU - Enemark, Ulrika

AU - Hansen, Kristian S

PY - 2015/1/1

Y1 - 2015/1/1

N2 - Health insurance is attracting more and more attention as a means for improving health care utilization and protecting households against impoverishment from out-of-pocket expenditures. Currently about 52 percent of the resources for financing health care services come from out of pocket sources or user fees in Africa. Therefore, Ghana serves as in interesting case study as it has successfully expanded coverage of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). The study aims to establish the treatment-seeking behaviour of households in Ghana under the NHI policy. The study relies on household data collected from three districts in Ghana covering the 3 ecological zones namely the coastal, forest and savannah.Out of the 1013 who sought care in the previous 4 weeks, 60% were insured and 71% of them sought care from a formal health facility. The results from the multinomial logit estimations show that health insurance and travel time to health facility are significant determinants of health care demand. Overall, compared to the uninsured, the insured are more likely to choose formal health facilities than informal care including self-medication when ill. We discuss the implications of these results as the concept of the NHIS grows widely in Ghana and serves as a good model for other African countries.

AB - Health insurance is attracting more and more attention as a means for improving health care utilization and protecting households against impoverishment from out-of-pocket expenditures. Currently about 52 percent of the resources for financing health care services come from out of pocket sources or user fees in Africa. Therefore, Ghana serves as in interesting case study as it has successfully expanded coverage of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). The study aims to establish the treatment-seeking behaviour of households in Ghana under the NHI policy. The study relies on household data collected from three districts in Ghana covering the 3 ecological zones namely the coastal, forest and savannah.Out of the 1013 who sought care in the previous 4 weeks, 60% were insured and 71% of them sought care from a formal health facility. The results from the multinomial logit estimations show that health insurance and travel time to health facility are significant determinants of health care demand. Overall, compared to the uninsured, the insured are more likely to choose formal health facilities than informal care including self-medication when ill. We discuss the implications of these results as the concept of the NHIS grows widely in Ghana and serves as a good model for other African countries.

KW - Adolescent

KW - Adult

KW - Aged

KW - Female

KW - Ghana

KW - Health Expenditures

KW - Health Services Accessibility

KW - Health Surveys

KW - Humans

KW - Male

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Models, Theoretical

KW - National Health Programs

KW - Patient Acceptance of Health Care

KW - Journal Article

U2 - 10.5539/gjhs.v7n1p296

DO - 10.5539/gjhs.v7n1p296

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 25560361

SN - 1916-9736

VL - 7

SP - 296

EP - 314

JO - Global journal of health science

JF - Global journal of health science

IS - 1

ER -