In 2017, Tanzania proposed the SNHI, building on the existing national health insurance fund’s (NHIF) administrative structures to manage contributions and enrol participants. As of October 2017, NHIF, which primarily provides health insurance for the formal sector, had over 750,000 primary members and an estimated 3.5 million total beneficiaries. Over 2.1 million rural and informal households currently have access to a community health fund (CHF)—district- level schemes with no set benefits package or uniform contribution rate.
This brief summarizes the actuarial feasibility of implementing SNHI and provides recommendations on how to promote the sustainability of such a single payer scheme as Tanzania advances on its path towards universal health coverage. The implementation process of the SNHI should follow a phased approach- first making CHFs uniform across the country in terms of the benefits package offered, contribution rates, and provider payment mechanisms, as well as consolidating management and administration to the national level.
The full brief can be accessed on the link below