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. 2020 Aug 10:12:435-444.
doi: 10.2147/CEOR.S262225. eCollection 2020.

Community-Based Health Insurance Enrollment and Child Health Service Utilization in Northwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Case Comparison Study

Asmamaw Atnafu  1 , Tsegaye Gebremedhin  1
Affiliations

Community-Based Health Insurance Enrollment and Child Health Service Utilization in Northwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Case Comparison Study

Asmamaw Atnafu et al. Clinicoecon Outcomes Res. .

Abstract

Purpose: Utilization of primary healthcare services in the rural communities of Ethiopia is very low. The Ethiopian government has introduced community-based health insurance (CBHI) to improve the health service utilization of the rural community. Thus, this study was conducted to examine the association between CBHI enrollment and child health service utilization in northwest Ethiopia.

Patients and methods: A cross-sectional case comparison study among CBHI enrolled and unenrolled households was conducted. A total of 226 sick children from 2008 surveyed households were included in the study. Bivariate-probit regression analysis was employed to account the endogenous nature of insurance enrollment and child health services utilization.

Results: The results showed that the overall sick child healthcare visit in the CBHI enrolled group was about 0.44 (44%) point more compared to those unenrolled households. CBHI enrolled households in the poorest wealth group have a higher probability of visiting healthcare facilities for their sick children (coefficient: 0.13, SD: 0.07, 95% CI: -0.01, 0.27), whereas CBHI enrolled households with older age household head have a lower probability of visiting healthcare facilities for their sick children (coefficient: -0.16, SD: 0.08, 95% CI: -0.32, 0.01).

Conclusion: A promising positive effect on sick children's health services utilization among CBHI enrolled was noticed. Moreover, households in the poorest wealth status and older age head affect the use of sick children's healthcare services among those CBHI enrolled. Therefore, policy measures to expand benefit packages and supply-side interventions are essential to enhance the effects of CBHI on different health service utilization.

Keywords: bivariate-probit regression; child health services utilization; health insurance; northwest Ethiopia.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

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