India's economy features a significant informal workforce that often struggles with low wages and inadequate healthcare benefits, leading many older workers to continue working past retirement age to cover their medical costs. This study found that informal older...
Medicare austerity reforms and patient out-of-pocket costs: The experience from Australian cancer patients
This paper analyzes trends in provider fees, government spending on private out-of-hospital medical services, and out-of-pocket costs for cancer patients following policy changes aimed at reducing government expenditure. It highlights significant variations in...
A Chinese conundrum: does higher insurance coverage for hospitalization reduce financial protection for the patients who most need it?
This paper analyzes how cost-sharing impacts the use of outpatient and inpatient health services in China. The study reveals that increased cost-sharing for outpatient services leads to decreased outpatient usage while simultaneously increasing reliance on inpatient...
Forecasting total and cause-specific health expenditures for 116 health conditions in Norway, 2022–2050
This study forecasts an increase in Norway's health spending from 10.6% of GDP in 2022 to 14.3% by 2050, driven primarily by population growth, aging, and rising costs per case. While the overall expenditure growth is inevitable, improving resource allocation and...
What contributes to out-of-pocket health expenditure in Cambodia’s uncovered population?
Out-of-pocket health expenditures (OOPE) in Cambodia significantly contribute to financial hardship for households engaged in informal employment, with healthcare factors being the largest drivers of these costs. The study suggests that the Cambodian government should...
Projected costs of long-term care for older people in England: The impacts of housing quality improvements
Good quality housing is crucial for public health, yet its economic implications for long-term care have not been extensively studied. This research analyzes how housing improvements can affect future long-term care costs in England, utilizing data from the English...
Political economy analysis of health financing reforms in times of crisis: findings from three case studies in south-east Asia
This study examines recent health financing reforms in Nepal, Thailand, and Indonesia through a political economy lens. The objective is to understand whether and how crises can be leveraged to advance universal health coverage (UHC) and to analyse the strategies used...
Political economy analysis of primary health care-oriented reforms: a case study on contracting district health systems for primary care services in Thailand
In Thailand, primary health care (PHC) is the first point of access to health services for all Thai citizens within the district health system. This case study investigates the political economy factors that have influenced Thailand’s decades-long implementation of...
Catastrophic health expenditure associated with non-inpatient costs among middle-aged and older individuals in China
The primary social health insurance schemes in China, UEMIS and URRMS, mainly cover non-inpatient expenditures, neglecting costs associated with outpatient care and medications. A study found that over 60% of participants used non-inpatient services recently, with...
The current situation of health equity in underserved areas of Afghanistan
Providing universal health coverage (UHC) in Afghanistan faces challenges due to the country's geographic topography and gender dynamics. A significant number of primary healthcare facilities are unevenly distributed, leaving nearly 25% of the population underserved,...
Financial Protection Outcomes in Four East Asian Countries During COVID-19: Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia
This paper analyzes the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and financial protection in four East Asia and Pacific (EAP) countries: Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand. It highlights a general improvement in service coverage in...
The political economy of national health insurance schemes: evidence from Zambia
Governments in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) are increasingly considering national health insurance schemes (NHIS) to achieve universal health coverage (UHC). This article examines the political economy surrounding the establishment of Zambia's NHIS in 2018,...
South Korea’s healthcare expenditure: a comprehensive study of public and private spending across health conditions, demographics, and payer types (2011–2020)
South Korea's healthcare expenditure rose significantly from $45.6 billion in 2011 to $76.9 billion in 2020, accounting for 9.3% of GDP. Despite universal health coverage, out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses remain high, particularly for women and the elderly. Public...
Who pays to treat malaria and how much? Analysis of the cost of illness, equity and economic burden of malaria in Uganda
Case management of malaria in Africa has significantly progressed over the past two decades, necessitating updated cost estimates for effective malaria control policies. In Uganda, a costing exercise revealed that the mean societal economic cost for treating suspected...
The other health care system in Germany: care for people without health insurance
A study identified 128 institutions in Germany providing healthcare to uninsured individuals. The care offered was varied and often reliant on private donations, with specialties including general medicine, gynecology, and psychiatry, but overall access was uneven and...