Since the 1990s, community-based health insurance (CBHI) schemes have been proposed to reduce the financial consequences of illness and enhance access to healthcare in developing countries. Convincing evidence on the ability of such schemes to meet their objectives is scarce. This paper uses randomized control trials conducted in rural Uttar Pradesh and Bihar (India) to evaluate the effects of three CBHI schemes on healthcare utilization and expenditure. We find that the schemes have no effect on these outcomes.

The results suggest that CBHI schemes of the type examined in this paper are unlikely to have a substantial impact on access and financial protection in developing countries.

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This work was funded by the European Commission seventh framework program, grant ID HEALTH-F2- 2009-223518—CBHI in India., Ellen Van de Poel received funding support from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, Innovational Research Incentives Scheme, Veni project 451-11-031.
doi.org/10.1002/hec.3307, hdl.handle.net/1765/79444
Health Economics
Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM)

Raza, W., Van de Poel, E., Bedi, A. S., & Rutten, F. (2015). Impact of community-based health insurance on access and financial protection. Health Economics, 25(2). doi:10.1002/hec.3307