UNASSIGNED: The design of health benefits package (HBP), and its associated payment and pricing system, is central to the performance of government-funded health insurance programmes. We evaluated the impact of revision in HBP within India\'s Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) on provider behaviour, manifesting in terms of utilisation of services.
UNASSIGNED: We analysed the data on 1.35 million hospitalisation claims submitted by all the 886 (222 government and 664 private) empanelled hospitals in state of Punjab, from August 2019 to December 2022, to assess the change in utilisation from HBP 1.0 to HBP 2.0. The packages were stratified based on the nature of revision introduced in HBP 2.0, i.e., change in nomenclature, construct, price, or a combination of these. Data from National Health System Cost Database on cost of each of the packages was used to determine the cost-price differential for each package during HBP 1.0 and 2.0 respectively. A dose-response relationship was also evaluated, based on the multiplicity of revision type undertaken, or based on extent of price correction done. Change in the number of monthly claims, and the number of monthly claims per package was computed for each package category using an appropriate seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) time series model.
UNASSIGNED: Overall, we found that the HBP revision led to a positive impact on utilisation of services. While changes in HBP nomenclature and construct had a positive effect, incorporating price corrections further accentuated the impact. The pricing reforms highly impacted those packages which were originally significantly under-priced. However, we did not find statistically significant dose-response relationship based on extent of price correction. Thirdly, the overall impact of HBP revision was similar in public and private hospitals.
UNASSIGNED: Our paper demonstrates the significant positive impact of PM-JAY HBP revisions on utilisation. HBP revisions need to be undertaken with the anticipation of its long-term intended effects.
UNASSIGNED: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

BACKGROUND: Low-income countries bear a growing and disproportionate burden of oral diseases. With the World Health Organization targeting universal oral health coverage by 2030, assessing the state of oral health coverage in these resource-limited nations becomes crucial. This research seeks to examine the political and resource commitments to oral health, along with the utilization rate of oral health services, across 27 low-income countries.
METHODS: We investigated five aspects of oral health coverage in low-income countries, including the integration of oral health in national health policies, covered oral health services, utilization rates, expenditures, and the number of oral health professionals. A comprehensive search was conducted across seven bibliographic databases, three grey literature databases, and national governments\' and international organizations\' websites up to May 2023, with no linguistic restrictions. Countries were categorized into \"full integration\", \"partial integration\", or \"no integration\" based on the presence of dedicated oral health policies and the frequency of oral health mentions. Covered oral health services, utilization rates, expenditure trends, and the density of oral health professionals were analyzed using evidence from reviews and data from World Health Organization databases.
RESULTS: A total of 4242 peer-reviewed and 3345 grey literature texts were screened, yielding 12 and 84 files respectively to be included in the final review. Nine countries belong to \"full integration\" and thirteen countries belong to \"partial integration\", while five countries belong to \"no integration\". Twelve countries collectively covered 26 types of oral health care services, with tooth extraction being the most prevalent service. Preventive and public health-based oral health interventions were scarce. Utilization rates remained low, with the primary motivation for seeking care being dental pain relief. Expenditures on oral health were minimal, predominantly relying on domestic private sources. On average, the 27 low-income countries had 0.51 dentists per 10,000 population, contrasting with 2.83 and 7.62 in middle-income and high-income countries.
CONCLUSIONS: Oral health care received little political and resource commitment toward achieving universal health coverage in low-income countries. Urgent action is needed to mobilize financial and human resources, and integrate preventive and public health-based interventions.

BACKGROUND: Sub-optimal community health service delivery (CHSD) has been a challenge constraining community health systems (CHS) globally, especially in developing countries such as Nigeria. This paper examined the key factors that either enhance or constrain CHSD in Nigeria at the individual, community/facility and governmental levels while recommending evidence-based solutions for sustaining and improving CHSD within the framework of CHS.
METHODS: Data were collected through a qualitative study undertaken in three states (Anambra, Akwa-Ibom and Kano) in Nigeria. Respondents were formal/informal health providers, community leaders and representatives of civil society organizations all purposively sampled. There were 90 in-depth interviews and 12 focus group discussions, which were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically using codes to identify key themes.
RESULTS: Factors constraining community health service delivery at the individual level were poor health-seeking behaviour, preference for quacks and male dominance of service delivery; at the community/facility level were superstitious/cultural beliefs and poor attitude of facility workers; at the governmental level were inadequate financial support, embezzlement of funds and inadequate social amenities. Conversely, the enabling factors at the individual level were community members\' participation and the compassionate attitude of informal providers. At the community and facility levels, the factors that enhanced service delivery were synergy between formal and informal providers and support from community-based organizations and structures. At the governmental level, the enhancing factors were the government\'s support of community-based formal/informal providers and a clear line of communication.
CONCLUSIONS: Community health service delivery through a functional community-health system can improve overall health systems strengthening and lead to improved community health. Policy-makers should integrate community health service delivery in all program implementation and ultimately work with the community health system as a veritable platform for effective community health service delivery.

OBJECTIVE: The study identifies provision of primary healthcare services using the capitated health model as a prerequisite for promoting positive healthcare outcomes for a country\'s population. However, capitated members have continued to face challenges in accessing primary healthcare services despite enrolment in the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). This study sought to determine if variables such as patient knowledge of the NHIF benefit package, NHIF Premium Payment processes, selecting NHIF capitated health facilities, and NHIF Communication to citizens\' influences access to primary healthcare services.
METHODS: A cross-sectional analytical research design was adopted. Data was collected from patients who were using NHIF cards, who were drawn from health facilities. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire where some of the questions were rated using the Likert scale to enable the generation of descriptive statistics. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Logistic regression was conducted to determine the relationship between the independent and the dependent variables.
RESULTS: The study found that four independent variables (Patient knowledge of NHIF Benefit Package, NHIF Premium Payment processes, Selecting NHIF capitated Health Facility, and NHIF Communication to citizens) were significant predictors of access to capitated healthcare services with significance values of .001, .001, .001 and .001 respectively at 95% significance level.
CONCLUSIONS: The study found that familiarity with the NHIF benefit package significantly influenced NHIF capitated members\' access to primary healthcare services in Uasin Gishu County. While most members were aware of their healthcare entitlements, there\'s a need for increased awareness regarding access to surgical services and dependents\' inclusion. Facility selection also played a crucial role, influenced by factors like freedom of choice, NHIF facility selection rules, facility appearance, and proximity to members\' homes. NHIF communication positively impacted access, with effective communication channels aiding service accessibility. Premium payment processes also significantly linked with service access, influenced by factors such as payment procedures, premium awareness, payment schedules, registration waiting periods, and penalties for defaults. Overall, patient knowledge, NHIF communication, premium payment processes, and facility selection all contributed positively to NHIF capitated members\' access to primary healthcare services in Uasin Gishu County.

BACKGROUND: The 2010 Child Dental Care Reform of the National Health Insurance Law marked a turning point in the Israeli oral healthcare system by establishing Universal Health Coverage of dental care for children. Initially, the reform included children up to age 8 and gradually expanded to age 18 in 2019. The basket of services includes preventive and restorative treatments provided by the four Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO). The aim of this study was to examine the uptake of child dental services during the first decade of the reform.
METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted to determine the treatment uptake, type and amount of the services delivered based on annual service utilization reports submitted by the HMOs to the Ministry of Health in the years 2011-2022.
RESULTS: The number of insured children increased from 1,546,857 in 2011 to 3,178,238 in 2022. The uptake of dental services gradually increased during the study period with a slight decrease in 2020. The percentage of children who used the services gradually increased from 8 to 33%, with the incremental inclusion of additional age groups. From 2012 onwards the most common treatments provided were preventive, however the single most common treatment was dental restoration. In 2022 35% of the population of Israel was under the age of 18. Out of these, about a third received dental treatment via the HMOs. This is a significant achievement, since before the reform all treatments were paid out-of-pocket. After a short period of increasing uptake, a stable service utilization pattern was evident that can indicate better public awareness and service acceptance.
CONCLUSIONS: Although this is a reasonable uptake, additional efforts are required to increase the number of children receiving dental care within the public insurance. Such an effort can be part of a multi-disciplinary approach, in which pediatricians and public health nurses can play a vital role in dental caries prevention, enhancement of awareness and service utilization.

Despite the remarkable health achievements of Japan\'s universal health coverage since 1961, along with numerous social programs to ensure financial protection, a growing proportion of the older population reportedly experiences financial hardship for essential health care. The socio-behavioral and economic situation of the households in need and the effective policy interventions remain unknown. To identify the reasons behind older persons\' financial hardship and the effective policy interventions, we performed a questionnaire survey of social workers in all hospitals, local government offices and social service agencies across six prefectures in Kansai region. Data from 553 respondents revealed that the financial difficulties related to health care are often closely intertwined with social and mental health hardships experienced by older people and their families. Notably, potentially helpful programs including \'free/low-cost medical treatment program\' and the adult guardianship system for dementia were infrequently used. Moreover, male, social workers at local offices/agencies, and less than 10 years\' professional experience associated with infrequent use of key protective programs. To close the gap between policy and practice, policies should focus on clients\' daily living needs, and new frontline social workers should receive lifelong training that incorporates their own backgrounds, experiences, and values, including the use of anti-oppressive gerontological approaches.
UNASSIGNED: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10615-023-00914-x.

The National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) of Kenya was upgraded to improve access to healthcare for impoverished households, expand universal health coverage (UHC), and boost the uptake of essential reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) services. However, premiums may be unaffordable for the poorest households. The Innovative Partnership for Universal Sustainable Healthcare (i-PUSH) program targets low-income women and their households to improve their access to and utilization of quality healthcare, including RMNCH services, by providing subsidized, mobile phone-based NHIF coverage in combination with enhanced, digital training of community health volunteers (CHVs) and upgrading of health facilities. This study evaluated whether expanded NHIF coverage increased the accessibility and utilization of quality basic RMNCH services in areas where i-PUSH was implemented using a longitudinal cluster randomized controlled trial in Kakamega, Kenya. A total of 24 pair-matched villages were randomly assigned either to the treatment or the control group. Within each village, 10 eligible households (i.e., with a woman aged 15-49 years who was either pregnant or with a child below 4 years) were randomly selected. The study applied a Difference-in-Difference methodology based on a pooled cross-sectional analysis of baseline, midline and endline data, with robustness checks based on balanced panels and ANCOVA methods. The analysis sample included 346 women, of whom 248 had had a live birth in the 3 years prior to any of the surveys, and 424 children aged 0-59 months. Improved NHIF coverage did not have a statistically significant impact on any of the RMNCH outcome indicators at midline nor endline. Uptake of RMNCH services, however, improved substantially in both control and treatment areas at endline compared to baseline. For instance, significant increases were observed in the number of antenatal care visits from baseline to midline (mean = 2.62 to 2.92) p < 0.01) and delivery with a skilled birth attendant from baseline to midline (mean = 0.91 to 0.97 (p < 0.01). Expanded NHIF coverage, providing enhanced access to RMNCH services of unlimited duration at both public and private facilities, did not result in an increased uptake of care, in a context where access to basic public RMNCH services was already widespread. However, the positive overall trend in RMNCH utilization indicators, in a period of constrained access due to the COVID-19 pandemic, suggests that the other components of the i-PUSH program may have been beneficial. Further research is needed to better understand how the provision of insurance, enhanced CHV training and improved healthcare quality interact to ensure pregnant women and young children can make full use of the continuum of care.

UNASSIGNED: Achieving universal health coverage is one of the prominent targets of the United Nations\' sustainable development goals. Reducing out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) is essential because high OOPE can deter the use of healthcare services, which can lead to poor health outcomes and medical impoverishment.
UNASSIGNED: The study sought to determine the effects of various factors such as Domestic General Government Health Expenditure, Gross Domestic Product, Government schemes and compulsory contributory healthcare financing schemes, and Voluntary health insurance schemes on OOPE per Capita in emerging economies.
UNASSIGNED: Econometric methods using panel data.
UNASSIGNED: The study analyzed the publicly available panel data from the World Health Organization using fixed, random, and dynamic models.
UNASSIGNED: Domestic General Government Health Expenditure and Gross Domestic Product are associated with an increase in OOPE. Government schemes, compulsory contributory healthcare financing schemes, and voluntary health insurance programs are linked to a reduction in OOPE.
UNASSIGNED: In conclusion, this study, conducted through econometric methods on panel data, sheds light on the critical importance of reducing OOPE to achieve universal health coverage, aligning with the United Nations\' sustainable development goals. Countries shall implement a holistic approach focusing on preventive healthcare and health promotion, providing comprehensive health insurance, strengthening public health systems, and regulating medicine prices.
Making healthcare affordable in emerging economies This study examines how to make healthcare more affordable in developing countries. People often skip needed care due to high out-of-pocket costs (money paid directly for medical services). The researchers analyzed data across multiple countries to see what affects these costs. They found that while government spending on healthcare and a strong economy are good things, they can ironically lead to people paying more out of pocket for medical care. However, government healthcare programs, mandatory health insurance, and even voluntary insurance plans can all help bring these costs down. The study suggests that keeping these out-of-pocket costs low is key to achieving the United Nations’ goal of everyone having access to healthcare. Countries can achieve this by focusing on preventive care, ensuring everyone has health insurance, strengthening public health systems, and keeping the price of medicine under control.

BACKGROUND: Setting and implementing evidence-informed health service packages (HSPs) is crucial for improving health and demonstrating the effective use of evidence in real-world settings. Despite extensive training for large groups on evidence generation and utilization and establishing structures such as evidence-generation entities in many countries, the institutionalization of setting and implementing evidence-informed HSPs remains unachieved. This study aims to review the actions taken to set the HSP in Iran and to identify the challenges of institutionalizing the evidence-informed priority-setting process.
METHODS: Relevant documents were obtained through website search, Google queries, expert consultations and library manual search. Subsequently, we conducted nine qualitative semi-structured interviews with stakeholders. The participants were purposively sampled to represent diverse backgrounds relevant to health policymaking and financing. These interviews were meticulously audio-recorded, transcribed and reviewed. We employed the framework analysis approach, guided by the Kuchenmüller et al. framework, to interpret data.
RESULTS: Efforts to incorporate evidence-informed process in setting HSP in Iran began in the 1970s in the pilot project of primary health care. These initiatives continued through the Health Transformation Plan in 2015 and targeted disease-specific efforts in 2019 in recent years. However, full institutionalization remains a challenge. The principal challenges encompass legal gaps, methodological diversity, fragile partnerships, leadership changeovers, inadequate financial backing of HSP and the dearth of an accountability culture. These factors impede the seamless integration and enduring sustainability of evidence-informed practices, hindering collaborative decision-making and optimal resource allocation.
CONCLUSIONS: Technical aspects of using evidence for policymaking alone will not ensure sustainability unless it achieves the necessary requirements for institutionalization. While addressing all challenges is crucial, the primary focus should be on required transparency and accountability, public participation with an intersectionality lens and making this process resilience to shocks. It is imperative to establish a robust legal framework and a strong and sustainable political commitment to embrace and drive change, ensuring sustainable progress.

BACKGROUND: India launched a national health insurance scheme named Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in 2018 as a key policy for universal health coverage. The ambitious scheme covers 100 million poor households. None of the studies have examined its impact on the quality of care. The existing studies on the impact of AB-PMJAY on financial protection have been limited to early experiences of its implementation. Since then, the government has improved the scheme\'s design. The current study was aimed at evaluating the impact of AB-PMJAY on improving utilisation, quality, and financial protection for inpatient care after four years of its implementation.
METHODS: Two annual waves of household surveys were conducted for years 2021 and 2022 in Chhattisgarh state. The surveys had a sample representative of the state\'s population, covering around 15,000 individuals. Quality was measured in terms of patient satisfaction and length of stay. Financial protection was measured through indicators of catastrophic health expenditure at different thresholds. Multivariate adjusted models and propensity score matching were applied to examine the impacts of AB-PMJAY. In addition, the instrumental variable method was used to address the selection problem.
RESULTS: Enrollment under AB-PMJAY was not associated with increased utilisation of inpatient care. Among individuals enrolled under AB-PMJAY who utilised private hospitals, the proportion incurring catastrophic health expenditure at the threshold of 10% of annual consumption expenditure was 78.1% and 70.9% in 2021 and 2022, respectively. The utilisation of private hospitals was associated with greater catastrophic expenditure irrespective of AB-PMJAY coverage. Enrollment under AB-PMJAY was not associated with reduced out-of-pocket expenditure or catastrophic health expenditure.
CONCLUSIONS: AB-PMJAY has achieved a large coverage of the population but after four years of implementation and an evidence-based increase in reimbursement prices for hospitals, it has not made an impact on improving utilisation, quality, or financial protection. The private hospitals contracted under the scheme continued to overcharge patients, and purchasing was ineffective in regulating provider behaviour. Further research is recommended to assess the impact of publicly funded health insurance schemes on financial protection in other low- and middle-income countries.