Table 3.
Study Author, date | Study Question | Equity Issue/s | Sample/s | Principal Results | Conclusions |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Akazili, 2011[20] |
Analyse the distribution of health care financing in relation to ability to pay |
Financing of health care |
Ghana Living Standard Survey (GLSS) 2005/2006; Ministry of Finance and other relevant sources; primary household data from six districts |
Financing is progressive due to progressivity of taxes (50% of funding). NHI levy is mildly progressive; formal sector NHI payroll deductions are progressive; informal sector NHI contributions are regressive. OOP payments (45% of funding) are regressive. |
Extension of pre-payment cover to all in the informal sector is needed - possibly through tax. The pre-payment funding pool for health care needs to grow so budgetary allocation to the health sector can be enhanced. |
Aryeetey, 2012[40] |
Analyse strategies to identify poor for exemptions: means testing (MT), proxy means testing (PMT), participatory wealth ranking (PWR), geographic targeting (GT) |
Access to health care |
145–147 households per setting: urban, rural and semi-urban in Ghana |
Cost of exempting one poor individual = US$15.87 to US$95.44; MT was most efficient and equitable in rural and urban settings with low-poverty incidence; GT was optimal in the semi-urban setting with high-poverty incidence. PMT and PWR were less equitable and inefficient although feasible in some settings. |
MT is recommended in low-poverty urban and rural settings and GT is optimal strategy in high-poverty semi-urban setting. The study is relevant to other low-income countries that require identification and exemptions of the poor in social health insurance programmes. |
Jehu-Appiah, 2011[42] |
Identify & compare perceptions of insured & uninsured on NHIS; Explore association with decisions to voluntarily enrol & remain insured |
Access to health care |
Household survey of 3,301 households and 13,865 individuals |
Scheme factors have the strongest association with voluntary enrolment & retention in NHIS (benefits, convenience & price) of NHIS. Negative on price of NHIS, provider attitudes and peer pressure. The uninsured are more negative about these factors. |
Perceptions about providers, scheme factors & community attributes are important in household decisions to voluntarily enrol in the NHIS. Policy makers need to design interventions to address these and stimulate enrolment. |
Jehu-Appiah, 2011[25] |
Evaluate equity in enrollment in the NHIS; assess determinants of demand across socio-economic groups |
Access to health care |
Household survey of 3,301 households |
Evaluation included: quality of care, service delivery, provider attitudes, benefits, price & convenience of NHIS, peer pressure & attitudes.’ Results show evidence of inequity as differences exist between the rich and the poor. |
Better identification of the poor is needed & premium exemptions should be aggressively pursued. Scheme factors influence decisions to enrol & quality of care should be addressed to retain the rich. SES is a significant factor. |
Mensah, 2010[44] |
Evaluate MDGs 4 & 5 for mothers who are enrolled in the NHIS compared with those who are not |
Access to health care |
Women (18–49 years) from Brong Ahafo and Upper East. 400 NHIS members &1,600 non-members |
NHIS women are more likely to receive prenatal care, deliver at a hospital, have their deliveries attended by trained health professionals, and experience less birth complications. |
The NHIS is an effective tool for improving health outcomes among those who are covered. The government should promote further enrolment, in particular among the poor. |
Nguyen, 2011[8] |
Evaluate the impact of the NHIS on households’ OOP spending and catastrophic health expenditure |
Access to health care; financing of health care |
Household survey in two rural districts, Nkoranza and Offinso |
NHIS coverage (2007) was 35%; OOP payment for care from informal sources & for uncovered drugs and tests occurred in NHIS but significantly less than the uninsured. Effect was strong among the poorest in the sample. |
NHIS gives a positive financial protection effect, stronger among the poor. Social health insurance cannot fully remove OOP payments. Further work is needed on supply-side incentives & quality of care. |
Sarpong, 2010[43] |
Explore the association between socio-economic status (SES) and NHIS membership |
Access to health care |
Residents of the Asante Akim, north district of the Ashanti region (99 villages, 7,223 households) |
38% subscribed to the NHIS, of these 21% were low, 43% middle and 60% high SES households. SES was significantly associated with NHIS subscription (high SES: Odds Ratio [OR] = 4.9 low SES OR = 1, reference group). |
To achieve universal access to health care facilities for all residents of Ghana, in particular for individuals living under socio-economic constraints, increasing their subscription rates is necessary. |
Witter, 2009[30] | Assess the NHIS (2005 to 2009) to inform NHIS developments & other innovations in the region | Financing of health care; access to health care | Literature plus stakeholder interviews at national, regional and district levels | NHIS is reliant on tax (70–75%); large exempted population (30%) ; coverage rose from 7% to 45%; growth in distressed schemes; VAT-based source is regressive; membership of NHIS is pro-rich & pro-urban; ‘squeezing out’ of non-members from health care utilisation; strengthening of purchasing needed. | Some trade-offs will be necessary to achieve universal coverage. In the long term, investment in the NHIS will only be justified if it is able to increase the cost-effectiveness of purchasing and the responsiveness of the system as a whole. |
Notes: NHIS = National Health Insurance Scheme; OPD = Out-patient department; IPD = In-patient department; PMD = Patent medicine dealers; SES = Socio-economic status; OOP = out-of-pocket; MDG = Millenium Development Goal; VAT = Value-added Tax; OR = Odds Ratio.