Social Health Insurance

Health development in countries of Asia and the Pacific is constantly facing new challenges but financial constraints prevent people from seeking timely health care and completing the treatment regimen. Many countries in Asia and the Pacific have introduced cost recovery by charging for publicly provided health services and the share of private financing in total health care spending has significantly increased in the past two decades. However such reforms were carried out without adequate measures to protect the poor and private out-of-pocket financing is an inequitable and inefficient way of funding health services. There has thus been growing interest in health insurance not only as a financing mechanism, but also as an effective social safety net. This publication is the outcome of joint efforts by the WHO Regional Offices for the Western Pacific and South-East Asia, the Asian Development Bank, and health care financing experts in the two regions. By the use of case studies it documents regional experiences in health care financing arrangements through prepayment, with critical analysis on factors linked to success, failures and lessons learnt in various socioeconomic settings. While experiences from 12 selected countries have been highlighted, the lessons are relevant for all countries in Asia and the Pacific. The publication will therefore be useful for policy makers and for international development partners undertaking technical assistance in the field of social security and social health insurance.