Impact of health insurance on health-care utilisation and out-of-pocket payments in South Africa

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dc.contributor.authorAtaguba, John
dc.contributor.authorGoudge, Jane
dc.date.accessioned2015-03-05T20:13:05Z
dc.date.available2015-03-05T20:13:05Z
dc.date.copyright2012
dc.date.issued2012
dc.description.abstractHealth insurance is an alternative to direct out-of-pocket (OOP) financing. It aims to improve access to care and reduce direct OOP payments. However, this may not be the case if there is high cost sharing and limited cover. This paper uses the methodology of propensity score matching to investigate the impact of private insurance via membership of a medical scheme in South Africa on health-care utilisation and OOP payments. The paper finds that insurance coverage increases the use of private health services as would be expected but there is no significant effect on the use of public services. Further, such coverage does not result in lower OOP payments for scheme members compared to nonmembers. This calls for a need to design health insurance, in South Africa, in the form that not only ensures adequate utilisation of health services but also provides financial protection to the insured as reflected in the current commitment for a National Health Insurance.en
dc.identifier.citationAtaguba, J.E.O., & Goudge, J. (2012).The Impact of Health Insurance on Health-care Utilisation and Out-of-Pocket Payments in South Africa. The Geneva Papers, 37, 633-654. doi:10.1057/gpp.2012.35en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10625/53822
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherThe International Association for the Study of Insurance Economicsen
dc.subjectHEALTH INSURANCEen
dc.subjectIMPACT EVALUATIONen
dc.subjectSOUTH AFRICAen
dc.subjectHEALTH-CARE UTILIZATIONen
dc.subjectOUT-OF-POCKET PAYMENTSen
dc.subjectHEALTH FINANCINGen
dc.subjectACCESS TO HEALTH CAREen
dc.subjectUSER CHARGESen
dc.subjectHEALTH SERVICESen
dc.subjectHEALTH SYSTEMen
dc.titleImpact of health insurance on health-care utilisation and out-of-pocket payments in South Africaen
dc.typeJournal Article (peer-reviewed)en
idrc.copyright.holderThe International Association for the Study of Insurance Economics
idrc.dspace.accessIDRC Onlyen
idrc.noaccessDue to copyright restrictions the full text of this research output is not available in the IDRC Digital Library or by request from the IDRC Library. / Compte tenu des restrictions relatives au droit d'auteur, le texte intégral de cet extrant de recherche n'est pas accessible dans la Bibliothèque numérique du CRDI, et il n'est pas possible d'en faire la demande à la Bibliothéque du CRDI.en
idrc.project.componentnumber106439002
idrc.project.number106439
idrc.project.titleEquity in Health and Health Financing: Building and Strengthening Developing Country Networksen
idrc.recordsserver.bcsnumberIC01-4451-48
idrc.rims.adhocgroupIDRC SUPPORTEDen

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