Ecuador experiences high growth in medical costs
According to the WTW Global Medical Trends Survey 2025, Ecuador is among the six Latin American countries where medical costs have grown the fastest this past year. Going to a doctor's appointment, buying medicines or taking out health insurance will be more expensive...
Why has NHS England been abolished and what does it mean for patients?
As announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, National Health Service (NHS) England is being abolished and merged with the Department of Health and Social Care to reduce bureaucracy. This restructuring aims to enhance efficiency, although it may result in job losses...
Rethinking Sustainable Health Financing in Africa: From Dependence to Partnership
The Africa Health Agenda, emphasized at the AHAIC 2025 conference, highlights the urgent need for African nations to shift towards proactive health strategies and sustainable, locally-led financing in response to declining external support and rising health...
Informal employment and high burden of out-of-pocket healthcare payments among older workers: evidence from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India
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...
Forgone care: The blindspot of our health system
UHC is a crucial goal for India and is supported by the Ayushman Bharat initiatives to enhance primary care and health insurance. Despite progress, significant barriers continue to result in forgone care, particularly among vulnerable populations.Universal health...
Malaysia to develop basic health insurance, takaful products for more sustainable medical treatment access
Bank Negara Malaysia is collaborating with the Ministry of Health and the Employees Provident Fund to develop basic health insurance and takaful products focused on value-based healthcare, aiming to reform the national health sector and manage rising medical...
Financing of the Colombian Health System during a period of reform
Colombia's healthcare system is still in the process of reform. The Ministry of Health indicates that the amounts granted to the capitation payment units in recent years have not been sufficient. It calls for clarification of payment modalities to EPSs for the coming...
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...
Kenya unveils health financing initiative to boost primary healthcare
The Kisumu Medical and Education Trust (KMET) has launched Tiba Mashinani, a health financing initiative providing loans to private primary healthcare facilities in the Lake Region Economic Bloc, aiming to improve access to quality medical care. The Kisumu Medical and...
Law 100 of 1993 created the comprehensive social security system in Colombia.
In 1993, the Congress of the Republic of Colombia passed Law 100, thus creating the country's comprehensive social security system. It comprises the obligations of the State and society, the institutions and the resources destined to guarantee the coverage of economic...
Czechia mulls merging health insurers amid persistent financial struggles
The Czech government is considering merging health insurance funds to enhance efficiency and address financial challenges within the public healthcare system, but stakeholders warn that this approach may not resolve deeper structural issues, such as ongoing deficits...
A delegation from Madagascar shares and learns at the 7th AfHEA conference
The African Association of Health Economics and Policy held its 7th biennial scientific conference from March 10 to 15, 2025 in Kigali, Rwanda. The Malagasy delegation made substantial contributions and benefited from field visits. The Madagascar team, under the...
The Healthcare Financing Progress Matrix
Several years after the implementation of national health financing strategies for universal health coverage, and in a changing institutional context, an assessment of health financing systems is essential. In response to this need, the World Health Organization has...
Why So Many Cambodians Travel Abroad For Medical Care
The author highlights the challenges and misdiagnoses faced in the Cambodian healthcare system that push many to seek medical treatment abroad. It underscores the rising trend of medical tourism due to inadequate domestic options, the financial burden of healthcare,...