National Health Insurance Reform Research Articles

The Current Healthcare Industry in South Africa

The current South African Healthcare (SAHC) system remains a dual healthcare system, consisting of the public and private healthcare sector. Albeit it unevenly distributed from a gross budget perspective, the gross national spend leans disproportionately towards the private sector coverage of healthcare. This equates to R 243Bn serving approximately 20% of the population as opposed to a similar public budgeted spend of R 247Bn serving approximately 80% of the population. In effect, the private sector serves a minority of the employed population. The SA Government has historically made large government Information and Communication Technology (ICT) investments within the public health sector, regionally based, where the return on capital investments have not been realised. The SAHC sector remains siloed. Health technology is advancing globally, and being propagated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) resulting in a global digital health strategy adopted by many countries. The South African National Department of Health (NDoH) has recently subscribed to its own local version of a ‘Digital Health Strategy’, in accordance with the WHO. The South African Public Healthcare technological infrastructure, in its current state, is deficient with many challenges needing urgent upgrading. The proposed digital or ehealth strategy and the proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) will require the reengineering of a national infrastructural and technological (ICT) environment from the ground upwards. Furthermore, this can only be achieved by reengineering the current state of the public healthcare technological infrastructure including the building infrastructure. This will include a transformation of national legislation. These projects and initiatives must be nationally managed within the ambit of improving the management capacity across all regions and districts that needs to be nationally coordinated. This effort can only be achieved by performing synchronised and well-coordinated implementations of such projects nationally across the SA Public Healthcare sector. This includes the integration of healthcare technologies, or national assets, from district to national level. This study provides further insights into these opportunities and challenges currently facing the South African Public Healthcare sector in preparation for the National Health Insurance (NHI) reform currently in review by the President. It further aims to assist in an approach to a solution addressing this national healthcare crisis.

The association of the Affordable Care Act with nutrient consumption in adults in the United States.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as the ACA, was legislation passed in the United States in 2010 to expand access to health insurance coverage for millions of Americans with a key emphasis on preventive care. Nutrition plays a critical role in overall wellness, disease prevention and resilience to chronic illness but prior to the ACA many Americans did not have adequate health insurance coverage to ensure proper nutrition. With passage of the ACA, more individuals received access to nutritional counseling through their primary care physicians as well as prescription vitamins and supplements free of charge. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of a national health insurance reform on nutrient intake among general population, including more vulnerable low-income individuals and patients with chronic conditions. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we identified 8,443 adults aged 21 years and older who participated in the survey before (2011-2012) and after the ACA (2015-2016) implementation and conducted a subgroup analysis of 952 respondents who identified as Medicaid beneficiaries and 719 patients with a history of cancer. Using pre-post study design and bivariate and multivariable logistic analyses, we compared nutrient intake from food and supplementation before and after the ACA and identified risk factors for inadequate intake. Our results suggest that intake of micronutrients found in nutrient-dense foods, mainly fruit and vegetables, has not changed significantly after the ACA. However, overall use of nutritional supplements increased after the ACA (p = 0.05), particularly magnesium (OR = 1.02), potassium (OR = 0.76), vitamin D (both D2, and D3, OR = 1.34), vitamin K (OR = 1.15) and zinc (OR = 0.83), for the general population as well as those in our subgroup analysis Cancer Survivors and Medicaid Recipients. Given the association of increased use of nutritional supplements and expansion of insurance access, particularly in our subgroup analysis, more research is necessary to understand the effect of increasing access to nutritional supplements on the overall intake of micro- and macronutrients to meet daily nutritional recommended allowances.

Mistrust in government and National Health Insurance: A qualitative study of solo private practitioners in Cape Town.

The participation of independent private general practitioners (GPs) is of fundamental importance to the successful implementation of key elements of the proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) reform, notably the contracting units for primary health care (CUPS). This study explored knowledge and perceptions of the NHI reforms of private GPs following the tabling of the NHI Bill in parliament in 2019. An explorative qualitative research methodology was adopted. Using a semi-structured guide, nine solo private GPs, purposefully selected to represent the range of practices in the southern peninsula of Cape Town were interviewed in depth by B.L.P. over the period from January 2021 to March 2022. The GPs indicated support for the values of greater equity outlined in the NHI proposals. However, they had little engagement on or knowledge of their potential future roles in NHI. Concerns over financial viability and design were underpinned by an overall mistrust in the public sector to implement and manage NHI. The study concurs with previous research that private GPs are broadly in support of the principles of, and are potential allies, in advancing NHI. General practitioners need a platform to share their concerns and contribute as co-designers of NHI reforms. In the interim, steps to increase collaboration between private and public sectors at local and provincial level through, for example, referral processes may help to build the trust that is necessary between the sectors.Contribution:This study foregrounds the role of trust relationships in advancing NHI.

Comparative Politics, Political Settlements, and the Political Economy of Health Financing Reform Comment on "Health Coverage and Financial Protection in Uganda: A Political Economy Perspective".

Nannini et al analyze barriers to national health insurance reforms in Uganda using a political economy approach primarily rooted in stakeholder analysis. This approach is valuable, not only for its clear description of the interest-based politics at play, but also for its extension of stakeholder analysis to include consideration of the role of ideas and institutions in the policy process. However this analysis, and others like it, could be further strengthened by adding insights from two different sources. The first is the comparative politics literature on the Ugandan regime. The second is a related approach which analyzes public service delivery in the context of a country's underlying "political settlement." Stakeholder-based approaches to health financing reform emphasize interest group conflict about the contents of policy reforms. By contrast, these complementary approaches imply distinct barriers to successful implementation of national health insurance in Uganda, rooted in the regime's de-industrialization and the personalization of politics and resource allocation. They also suggest possible leverage points or avenues for progress which differ from those suggested by stakeholder analysis.

The Impact Of Household Health Insurance Coverage Gains On Children's Achievement In Iowa: Evidence From The ACA.

Low family income is associated with worse child academic achievement. Little is known about how health insurance expansions affect children's achievement in low-income households. This study examined the effects of the Affordable Care Act's coverage expansions primarily for Medicaid and Marketplace enrollment, beginning in 2014, on children's academic achievement in Iowa. The study employed a unique linkage of birth certificates and data on standardized school tests for children in Iowa and took advantage of differences in uninsurance rates across areas in the state before the ACA insurance expansions. There is evidence that the ACA expansions beginning in 2014 were associated with higher reading scores after three years for children born to mothers with a high school education or less. There is no consistent evidence of an effect on math scores. Overall, these findings suggest broad spillover benefits from health insurance expansions to the well-being and development of children in low-income households that should be part of the continuing policy debate surrounding state and national health insurance reforms.

How and why policy-practice gaps come about: a South African Universal Health Coverage context

# Background South Africa, like many other countries is currently piloting National Health Insurance (NHI) reforms aimed at achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Existing health policy implementation experience has demonstrated that new policies have sometimes generated unexpected and negative outcomes without necessarily explaining how these came about. Policies are not always implemented as envisioned, hence the importance of understanding the nature of policy implementation. # Methods Qualitative data were collected during three phases: 2011-2012 (contextual mapping), 2013-2014 (phase 1) and 2015 (phase 2). In-depth face-to-face interviews were held with key informants (n=71) using a theory of change interview guide, adapted for each phase. Key informants ranged from provincial actors (policy makers) district, subdistrict and primary health care (PHC) facility actors (policy implementers). All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. An iterative, inductive and deductive data analysis approach was utilized. Transcripts were coded with the aid of MAXQDA2018 (VERBI software GmbH, Germany). # Results Five groups of factors bringing about policy-practice gaps were identified. (i) Primary factors stemming from a direct lack of a critical component for policy implementation, tangible or intangible (resources, information, motivation, power); (ii) secondary factors stemming from a lack of efficient processes or systems (budget processes, limited financial delegations, top down directives, communication channels, supply chain processes, ineffective supervision and performance management systems); (iii) tertiary factors stemming from human factors (perception and cognition) and calculated human responses to a lack of primary, secondary and or extraneous factors, as coping mechanisms (ideal reporting and audit driven compliance with core standards); (iv) extraneous factors stemming from beyond the health system (national vocational training leading to national shortage of plumbers); and (v) an overall lack of systems thinking. # Conclusions South Africa needs to be applauded for adopting UHC. Noteworthy among factors fueling policy-practice gaps are human factors, perception and responses of actors in the system to a lack of resources, processes and systems, through among others, ideal reporting and audit driven compliance with core standards, bringing about an additional layer of unintended consequences, further widening that gap. Utilizing a systems approach to address challenges identified, could go a long way in making UHC a reality.

An unintended consequence of provider payment reform: The case of capitation grants in the National Health Insurance reform of Indonesia.

One of the most important components of the ambitious 2014 National Health Insurance reform in Indonesia is the implementation of prospective payment system known as capitation grants, paid monthly to the primary health providers based on the enrolment rate. This has ushered in additional financial resources for the health managers in resource allocations, especially in the hiring of manpower. Drawing data from the Indonesia Family Life Survey (1993-2015), this paper uses difference-in-differences method to evaluate the effects of the payment method reform on the allocation of human resources for health among the primary health providers. To our surprise, there was no statistically significant change in the total number of full-time staff among the capitated facilities after the reform. However, capitation grants caused an increase in the number of full-time equivalent and part-time equivalent contract staff, but a significant decline in the number of full-time permanent staff among the urban capitated facilities. It is likely that more contract health workers were hired at the expense of full-time permanent staff among the capitated facilities in the urban regions. This unintended consequence shed light on the need to develop nuanced and contextual understanding of payment reforms in developing countries.

Mental health financing challenges, opportunities and strategies in low- and middle-income countries: findings from the Emerald project.

Current coverage of mental healthcare in low- and middle-income countries is very limited, not only in terms of access to services but also in terms of financial protection of individuals in need of care and treatment. To identify the challenges, opportunities and strategies for more equitable and sustainable mental health financing in six sub-Saharan African and South Asian countries, namely Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda. In the context of a mental health systems research project (Emerald), a multi-methods approach was implemented consisting of three steps: a quantitative and narrative assessment of each country's disease burden profile, health system and macro-fiscal situation; in-depth interviews with expert stakeholders; and a policy analysis of sustainable financing options. Key challenges identified for sustainable mental health financing include the low level of funding accorded to mental health services, widespread inequalities in access and poverty, although opportunities exist in the form of new political interest in mental health and ongoing reforms to national insurance schemes. Inclusion of mental health within planned or nascent national health insurance schemes was identified as a key strategy for moving towards more equitable and sustainable mental health financing in all six countries. Including mental health in ongoing national health insurance reforms represent the most important strategic opportunity in the six participating countries to secure enhanced service provision and financial protection for individuals and households affected by mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities. D.C. is a staff member of the World Health Organization.

Ethical Consideration of National Health Insurance Reform for Universal Health Coverage in the Republic of Korea.

In the current era of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), many countries are attempting to strengthen their health system and achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The Korean National Health Insurance (NHI) system functions as a core element of health financing, contributing to achieving UHC by promoting public health and social security through insurance benefits for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, childbirth, and health promotion. The Republic of Korea achieved 100% NHI coverage of the target population in 1989, 12years after the introduction of the social insurance system. However, poor coverage of health services and lack of financial protection are major obstacles to achieving UHC. Therefore, the Korean government announced and implemented 'Moon Jae-in Care' in August 2017 to enhance the coverage rate of NHI by 70%. First, this study reviews the existing health insurance system in Korea from the perspective of health financing and UHC. Second, it analyses 'Moon Jae-in Care', based on the main framework of UHC. Third, it considers the ethical implications of these developments, with focus on the principles of equity, fairness, autonomy, and solidarity. Although the NHI reform is expected to propel Korean health care closer to UHC, many ethical, social, and political issues remain.

“The Neurosis That Has Possessed Us”: Political Repression in the Cold War Medical Profession

Political repression played a central role in shaping the political complexion of the American medical profession, the policies it advocated, and those allowed to function comfortably in it. Previous work on the impact of McCarthyism and medicine focuses heavily on the mid-century failure of national health insurance (NHI) and medical reform organizations that suffered from McCarthyist attacks. The focus is national and birds-eye but says less about the impact on the day-to-day life of physicians caught in a McCarthyist web; and how exactly the machinery of political repression within the medical profession worked on the ground. This study shifts orientation by using the abrupt dismissal of three Los Angeles physicians from their jobs as a starting point for exploring these dynamics. I argue that the rise of the medical profession and the repressive state at mid-century, frequently studied apart, worked hand-in-hand, with institutions from each playing symbiotic and mutually reinforcing roles. I also explore tactics of resistance - rhetorical and organizational - to medical repression by physicians who came under attack.

Universal Health Coverage: Assessing Service Coverage and Financial Protection for All.

The authors discusses the World Health Organization's push for countries to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC), and it mentions national health insurance reforms, as well as the ability of all individuals to have access to health services without having to face financial hardship. The goal of improving health outcomes is examined, along with the impacts of data quality and availability on UHC progress. The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals are also assessed.

Does the operations of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Ghana align with the goals of Primary Health Care? Perspectives of key stakeholders in northern Ghana

BackgroundIn 2005, the World Health Assembly (WHA) of the World Health Organization (WHO) urged member states to aim at achieving affordable universal coverage and access to key promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health interventions for all their citizens on the basis of equity and solidarity. Since then, some African countries, including Ghana, have taken steps to introduce national health insurance reforms as one of the key strategies towards achieving universal health coverage (UHC). The aim of this study was to get a better understanding of how Ghana’s health insurance institutions interact with stakeholders and other health sector programmes in promoting primary health care (PHC). Specifically, the study identified the key areas of misalignment between the operations of the NHIS and that of PHC.MethodsUsing qualitative and survey methods, this study involved interviews with various stakeholders in six selected districts in the Upper East region of Ghana. The key stakeholders included the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), district coordinators of the National Health Insurance Schemes (NHIS), the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and District Health Management Teams (DHMTs) who supervise the district hospitals, health centers/clinics and the Community-based Health and Planning Services (CHPS) compounds as well as other public and private PHC providers.A stakeholders’ workshop was organized to validate the preliminary results which provided a platform for stakeholders to deliberate on the key areas of misalignment especially, and to elicit additional information, ideas and responses, comments and recommendations from respondents for the achievement of the goals of UHC and PHC.ResultsThe key areas of misalignments identified during this pilot study included: delays in reimbursements of claims for services provided by health care providers, which serves as a disincentive for service providers to support the NHIS; inadequate coordination among stakeholders in PHC delivery; and inadequate funding for PHC, particularly on preventive and promotive services. Other areas are: the bypassing of PHC facilities due to lack of basic services at the PHC level such as laboratory services, as well as proximity to the district hospitals; and finally the lack of clear understanding of the national policy on PHC.ConclusionThis study suggests that despite the progress that has been made since the establishment of the NHIS in Ghana, there are still huge gaps that need urgent attention to ensure that the goals of UHC and PHC are met. The key areas of misalignment identified in this study, particularly on the delays in reimbursements need to be taken seriously. It is also important for more dialogue between the NHIA and service providers to address key concerns in the implementation of the NHIS which is key to achieving UHC.

Does the operations of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Ghana align with the goals of Primary Health Care? Perspectives of key stakeholders in northern Ghana.

BackgroundIn 2005, the World Health Assembly (WHA) of the World Health Organization (WHO) urged member states to aim at achieving affordable universal coverage and access to key promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health interventions for all their citizens on the basis of equity and solidarity. Since then, some African countries, including Ghana, have taken steps to introduce national health insurance reforms as one of the key strategies towards achieving universal health coverage (UHC). The aim of this study was to get a better understanding of how Ghana’s health insurance institutions interact with stakeholders and other health sector programmes in promoting primary health care (PHC). Specifically, the study identified the key areas of misalignment between the operations of the NHIS and that of PHC.MethodsUsing qualitative and survey methods, this study involved interviews with various stakeholders in six selected districts in the Upper East region of Ghana. The key stakeholders included the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), district coordinators of the National Health Insurance Schemes (NHIS), the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and District Health Management Teams (DHMTs) who supervise the district hospitals, health centers/clinics and the Community-based Health and Planning Services (CHPS) compounds as well as other public and private PHC providers.A stakeholders’ workshop was organized to validate the preliminary results which provided a platform for stakeholders to deliberate on the key areas of misalignment especially, and to elicit additional information, ideas and responses, comments and recommendations from participants for the achievement of the goals of UHC and PHC.ResultsThe key areas of misalignments identified during this pilot study included: delays in reimbursements of claims for services provided by health care providers, which serves as a disincentive for service providers to support the NHIS, inadequate coordination among stakeholders in PHC delivery; and inadequate funding for PHC, particularly on preventive and promotive services. Other areas are: the bypassing of PHC facilities due to lack of basic services at the PHC level such as laboratory services, as well as proximity to the district hospitals; and finally the lack of clear understanding of the national policy on PHC.ConclusionThis study suggests that despite the progress that has been made since the establishment of the NHIS in Ghana, there are still huge gaps that need urgent attention to ensure that the goals of UHC and PHC are met. The key areas of misalignment identified in this study, particularly on the delays in reimbursements need to be taken seriously. It is also important for more dialogue between the NHIA and service providers to address key concerns in the implementation of the NHIS which is key to achieving UHC.

Are central hospitals ready for National Health Insurance? ICD coding quality from an electronic patient discharge record for clinicians.

South Africa (SA)'s planned National Health Insurance reforms require the use of International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes for hospitals to purchase services from the proposed National Health Authority. However, compliance with coding at public hospitals in the Western Cape Province has been challenging. A computer application was developed to aid clinicians in integrating ICD coding into the patient hospital discharge process. To evaluate the quality of ICD codes captured using the application and predictors thereof in a single hospital department. After 6 months, the quality of ICD codes was determined by comparing ICD code descriptors with medical concepts in a random sample of original patient records selected over a 6-week period. Patient and personnel characteristics influencing quality of coding, derived from a theoretical framework, were collected. Of 223 patient records, 45.3% (95% confidence interval (CI) 38.8 - 51.9) had complete ICD codes. Primary ICD code accuracy was 74.0% (95% CI 67.8 - 79.5). Patient characteristics such as female gender, younger age group and fewer comorbidities, as well as seniority of clinician rank, were significantly associated with ICD coding being complete on adjusted analysis. The results of this study describe ICD coding quality at a central hospital in SA supported by a computer application and the factors influencing this. More interventions are required to achieve reliable coding data, such as additional ICD coding validation tools, training and oversight of junior clinicians.

Patient Turnover and Nursing Employment in Massachusetts Hospitals Before and After Health Insurance Reform: Implications for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act is modeled after Massachusetts insurance reforms enacted in 2006. A linear mixed effect model examined trends in patient turnover and nurse employment in Massachusetts, New York, and California nonfederal hospitals from 2000 to 2011. The linear mixed effect analysis found that the rate of increase in hospital admissions was significantly higher in Massachusetts hospitals (p<.001) than that in California and New York (p=.007). The rate of change in registered nurses full-time equivalent hours per patient day was significantly less (p=.02) in Massachusetts than that in California and was not different from zero. The rate of change in admissions to registered nurses full-time equivalent hours per patient day was significantly greater in Massachusetts than California (p=.001) and New York (p<.01). Nurse staffing remained flat in Massachusetts, despite a significant increase in hospital admissions. The implications of the findings for nurse employment and hospital utilization following the implementation of national health insurance reform are discussed.

A network approach for researching political feasibility of healthcare reform: The case of universal healthcare system in Taiwan

This study evaluates the political feasibility of healthcare reform taking place in Taiwan in the past decade. Since Taiwan adopted National Health Insurance (NHI) in 1995, it has provided coverage for virtually all of the island's citizens. However, the imbalance between expenditure and revenue has resulted in a cycle of unsustainable spending which has necessitated financial reforms and political confrontations. By applying social network analysis, this paper examines multiple types of ties between policy elites and power distribution that have evolved in crucial policy events of the NHI's financial reforms between 1998 and 2010. Data sources include official documents and 62 social network interviews that were held with government officials and related unofficial policy participants. Blockmodeling and multidimensional scaling (MDS) are used to determine the major participants and network structures in the NHI domain, as well as the influential policy actors, based on information transmission, resource exchange, reputation attribution and action-set coalition networks in Taiwan's current political situation. The results show that although both public actors and all medical associations are the leading actors in the NHI reform, without good communication with societal actors, the promotion of reform proposals ends in failure. As a tool of political feasibility evaluation, social network analysis can map the political conflict between policy stakeholders systematically when policy makers pursue the result of policy adoption.

Universal health coverage: good health, good economics

Underpinning the trends examined in The Lancet's Series on universal health coverage are several points that deserve deeper appreciation. Call them EPIC—a fitting acronym, in view of the epic transition now underway as the world moves towards universal coverage. The struggle for universal health coverageCertain concepts resonate so naturally with the innate sense of dignity and justice within the hearts of men and women that they seem an insuppressible right. That health care should be accessible to all is surely one such concept. Yet in the past, this notion has struggled against barriers of self-interest and poor understanding. Building on several previous Lancet Series that have examined health and health systems in Mexico, China, India, southeast Asia, Brazil, and Japan, today we try to challenge those barriers with a collection of papers that make the ethical, political, economic, and health arguments in favour of universal health coverage (UHC), and which will be presented in New York on Sept 26, to coincide with the UN General Assembly. Full-Text PDF Does progress towards universal health coverage improve population health?Many commentators, including WHO, have advocated progress towards universal health coverage on the grounds that it leads to improvements in population health. In this report we review the most robust cross-country empirical evidence on the links between expansions in coverage and population health outcomes, with a focus on the health effects of extended risk pooling and prepayment as key indicators of progress towards universal coverage across health systems. The evidence suggests that broader health coverage generally leads to better access to necessary care and improved population health, particularly for poor people. Full-Text PDF Political and economic aspects of the transition to universal health coverageCountries have reached universal health coverage by different paths and with varying health systems. Nonetheless, the trajectory toward universal health coverage regularly has three common features. The first is a political process driven by a variety of social forces to create public programmes or regulations that expand access to care, improve equity, and pool financial risks. The second is a growth in incomes and a concomitant rise in health spending, which buys more health services for more people. Full-Text PDF Moving towards universal health coverage: health insurance reforms in nine developing countries in Africa and AsiaWe analyse nine low-income and lower-middle-income countries in Africa and Asia that have implemented national health insurance reforms designed to move towards universal health coverage. Using the functions-of-health-systems framework, we describe these countries' approaches to raising prepaid revenues, pooling risk, and purchasing services. Then, using the coverage-box framework, we assess their progress across three dimensions of coverage: who, what services, and what proportion of health costs are covered. Full-Text PDF Achieving universal health coverage in low-income settingsThe goal of universal health coverage is deeply embedded in politics, ethics, and international law. Article 25 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for health, including medical care, and the right to security in the event of sickness or disability.1 Motherhood and childhood are to be afforded special care and assistance. In the same year, the Constitution of the World Health Organization came into force, declaring that “The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition.”2 Full-Text PDF

National Health Insurance Reform in South Africa

A recent health reform proposal in South Africa proposes universal access to a comprehensive package of healthcare services in the public sector, through the implementation of a national health insurance (NHI) scheme. Implementation of the scheme is likely to involve the introduction of a payroll tax. It is implied that the introduction of the payroll tax will significantly reduce the size of the private health insurance market. The objective of this study was to estimate the impact of an NHI payroll tax on the demand for private health insurance in South Africa, and to explore the broader implications for health policy. The study applies probit regression analysis on household survey data to estimate the change in demand for private health insurance as a result of income shocks arising from the proposed NHI. The introduction of payroll taxes for the proposed NHI was estimated to result in a reduction to private health insurance membership of 0.73%. This suggests inelasticity in the demand for private health insurance. In the literature on the subject, this inelasticity is usually due to quality differences between alternatives. In the South African context, there may be other factors at play. An NHI tax may have a very small impact on the demand for private health insurance. Although additional financial resources will be raised through a payroll tax under the proposed NHI reform, systemic problems within the South African health system can adversely affect the ability of the NHI to translate additional finances into better quality healthcare. If these systemic challenges are not adequately addressed, the introduction of a payroll tax could introduce inefficiencies within the South African health system.

The effect of health insurance reform on the number of cataract surgeries in Chongqing, China.

BackgroundCataracts are the leading cause of blindness in China, and poverty is a major barrier to having cataract surgery. In 2003, the Chinese government began a series of new national health insurance reforms, including the New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) and the Urban Resident Basic Health Insurance scheme (URBMI). These two programs, combined with the previously existing Urban Employee Basic Health Insurance (UEBMI) program, aimed to make it easier for individuals to receive medical treatment. This study reports cataract surgery numbers in rural and urban populations and the proportion of these who had health insurance in Chongqing, China from 2003 to 2008.MethodsThe medical records of a consecutive case series, including 14,700 eyes of 13,262 patients who underwent age-related cataract surgery in eight hospitals in Chongqing from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2008, were analysed retrospectively via multi-stage cluster sampling.ResultsIn the past six years, the total number of cataract surgeries had increased each year as had the number of patients with insurance. Both the number of surgeries and the number of insured patients were much higher in the urban group than in the rural group. The rate of increase in the rural group however was much higher than in the urban group, especially in 2007 and 2008. The odds ratios of having health insurance for urban vs. rural individuals were relatively stable from 2003 to 2006, but it decreased in 2007 and was significantly lower in 2008.ConclusionsHealth insurance appears to be an important factor associated with increased cataract surgery in Chongqing, China. With the implementation of health insurance, the number of Chongqing's cataract surgeries was increased year by year.

The mission of safety net organizations following national insurance reform.

National health insurance reform will pose considerable challenges to the core missions of safety net organizations that serve the uninsured. Those who currently donate money or time will, rightly or wrongly, view uninsured recipients as less deserving on the whole. Nevertheless, safety net organizations can serve several critical functions that continue to justify their existence and support.One important mission is to maintain access for low-income uninsured until all elements of insurance reform are fully in place. Second, once the reform is implemented, people will need a great deal of assistance and encouragement to determine what they are supposed to do and where they are supposed to sign up. Third, substantial portions of the remaining uninsured will continue to lack affordable insurance options, and large numbers of people eligible for coverage will unavoidably undergo temporary gaps in coverage as their family and financial circumstances change. Finally, not all people with insurance will have affordable access to all needed care. Market conditions will continue pushing higher levels of patient cost-sharing through deductibles and co-payments.To serve these multiple needs, safety net organizations should consider adapting their missions and business models so that they accept both insured and uninsured patients under a sliding fee scale that varies charges according to ability to pay.