National health insurance enrolment among elderly ghanaians: the role of food security status

Abstract

Older people with food insecurity in Ghana are often exposed to poor health conditions, highlighting the importance of the National health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) enrolment for ensuring they receive necessary medical attention through access to health care services. However, we know very little about the association between food insecurity and National Health Insurance Scheme enrolment among older people in Ghana. To address this void in the literature, this study uses a representative survey of adults aged 60 or older from three regions in Ghana (i.e., Upper West, Bono, and Greater Accra regions (n = 1,073)). We find that 77% of older adults reported not being enrolled into the NHIS. Results from logistic regression analysis show that older people who experienced severe household food insecurity were less likely to enroll in the National Health Insurance Scheme than those who did not experience any food insecurity (OR = 0.48 p < 0.001). Based on these findings, we argue that in addition to the traditional socioeconomic factors, addressing severe food insecurity may improve health insurance enrolment among older adults. Additionally, policymakers should also consider older people’s socioeconomic circumstances when formulating policies for them to enrol in health insurance.