Skip to main content
Log in

Participation in health insurance and changes in the well-being status of co-operative members in Tanzania

  • Research Article
  • Published:
DECISION Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper analyses the association between participating in health insurance and improvements in the well-being status of co-operative members. It is expected that individuals, co-operative members, in particular, participate in health insurance schemes with expectations of changing and improving various dimensions of well-being. The analyses using partial least squire structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) revealed that participation in health insurance significantly positively impacts change in the well-being status of co-operative members. Further, confirming the Theory of Dispositional Optimism co-operative members’ expectations mediate the relationship between participation in health insurance and changes in their well-being status. The study also found that expectations levels positively moderate the relationship between health insurance participation and changes in co-operative members’ well-being status. These findings imply that co-operative members with higher positive expectations out of health insurance participation are in an advantageous position to make and allow positive decisions that positively impact their well-being.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Data and/or code availability

Data will be available upon request to the authors.

References

  • African Union Commission (2015) Agenda 2063. Background note (Agenda 2063 Document No. 01). https://agenda2063.au.int/en/sites/default/files/01%20Agenda%202063_Background_Note_s.pdf

  • Armor D, Taylor S (1998) Situated optimism: specific outcome expectancies and self regulation. In: Kaniel R, Massey C, Robinson DT (eds) Advances in experimental social psychology. Optimism without illusion: the impact of experience on expectations

  • Ashoke M (2021) Does covid-19 pandemic accelerate the growth of health insurance segment? A study in respect of Indian health insurance. Manag Account 56(2):55

    Google Scholar 

  • Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2021) Understanding welfare and well-being. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-welfare/understanding-welfare-and-wellbeing

  • Bamanyisa JM (2019) The role of co-operatives in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing sinks through land use, land-use change and forestry in Tanzania. Doctoral thesis, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Sokoine University of Agriculture

  • Batty M, Gibbs C, Ippolito B (2022) Health insurance, medical debt, and financial well-being. Health Econ 31(5):689–728

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ben Ze’ev A (2000) The subtlety of emotions. MIT Press, USA

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Berry D, Bell MP (2018) Worker co-operatives: alternative governance for caring and precarious work. Equal, Divers Incl 37(4):376–391

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borda-Rodriguez A, Johnson H (2020) Inclusive development and co-operatives. Eur J Dev Res 32(4):976–997

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boudreaux MH, Golberstein E, McAlpine DD (2016) The long-term impacts of Medicaid exposure in early childhood: evidence from the program’s origin. J Health Econ 45:161–175

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bovbjerg RR, Hadley J (2007) Why health insurance is important. Report no. DC-SPG no. 1. Health policy briefs, vol. 11, p 3. The Urban Institute, Washington

  • Cardullo G, Conti M, Ricci A, Scicchitano S, Sulis G (2021) On the emergence of co-operative industrial and labor relations. Inapp working paper no. 78, Roma, Inapp

  • Cenfetelli RT, Bassellier G (2009) Interpretation of formative measurement in information systems research. MIS Q 33:689–708

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chambers JR, Windschitl PD (2004) Biases in social comparative judgments: the role of nonmotivated factors in above-average and comparative-optimism effects. Psychol Bull 130:813–838

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chin WW (1998) The partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling. In: Marcoulides GA (ed) Modern methods for business research. Erlbaum, Mahwah, pp 295–358

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohodes SR, Grossman DS, Kleiner SA, Lovenheim MF (2016) The effect of child health insurance access on schooling: evidence from public insurance expansions. J Hum Resour 51:727–759

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Consejero FM, Janoschka M (2022) Transforming urban democracy through social movements: the experience of Ahora Madrid. Soc Mov Stud 22(3):343–360

    Google Scholar 

  • Cuong NV (2013) The impact of social security on household welfare: evidence from a transition country. Eur J Dev Res 25(5):737–757

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Meza D, Dawson C (2021) Neither an optimist nor a pessimist be: mistaken expectations lower well-being. Pers Soc Psychol Bull 47(4):540–550

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener E, Suh EM, Lucas RE, Smith HL (1999) Subjective well-being: three decades of progress. Psychol Bull 125(2):276–302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DiPietro B, Klingenmaier L (2013) Achieving public health goals through Medicaid expansion: opportunities in criminal justice, homelessness, and behavioral health with the patient protection and affordable care act. Am J Public Health 103(S2):e25–e29

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellery J, Ellery PJ (2022) Beyond services and prescriptions: reimagining healthy lifestyle centers as co-operative enterprises. Am J Lifestyle Med 16(1):46–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaudette É, Pauley GC, Zissimopoulos JM (2018) Lifetime consequences of early-life and midlife access to health insurance: a review. Med Care Res Rev 75(6):655–720

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hair JFJ, Ringle CM, Sarstedt M (2011) PLS-SEM: indeed a silver bullet. J Mark Theory Pract 19(2):139–152

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hair JFJ, Hult GTM, Ringle CM, Sarstedt M (2017) A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), 2nd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • ILO (2017) Social protection for older women and men. Fighting poverty through pension systems. In: World social protection report 2017–19: universal social protection to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. ILO, Geneva

  • ILO (2021) World social protection report 2020–22: social protection at the crossroads—in pursuit of a better future. ILO, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaramillo ET, Willging CE (2021) Producing insecurity: Healthcare access, health insurance, and well-being among American Indian elders. Soc Sci Med 268:113384

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaswan MJ (2021) Co-operatives and the question of democracy. J Soc Econ Common Welf 44(4):486–500

    Google Scholar 

  • Kennelly JJ, Odekon M (2016) Worker co-operatives in the United States. Redux Work USA 19(2):163–185

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim S, Koh K (2022) Health insurance and subjective well-being: evidence from two healthcare reforms in the United States. Health Econ (UK) 31(1):233–249

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kipo-Sunyehzi DD (2020) Global social welfare and social policy debates: Ghana’s health insurance scheme promotion of the well-being of vulnerable groups. J Soc Serv Res 47(1):73–87

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krizan Z, Windschitl PD (2007) The influence of outcome desirability on optimism. Psychol Bull 133(1):95–121

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee K, Murphy ER, Cassidy J, Chen Z, Rhee TG (2020) Impacts of health insurance on older adults with histories of homelessness. J Soc Distress Homelessness 31(1):1–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levy BR, Leifheit-Limson E (2009) The stereotype-matching effect: greater influence on functioning when age stereotypes correspond to outcomes. Psychol Aging 24(1):230–233

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu K, Wu Q, Liu J (2014) Examining the association between social health insurance participation and patients’ out-of-pocket payments in China: the role of institutional arrangement. Soc Sci Med 113:95–103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu C, Chen H, Liu CY, Lin RT, Chiou WK (2020) Co-operative and individual mandala drawing have different effects on mindfulness, spirituality, and subjective well-being. Front Psychol 11:564430

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu H, Chen Y, Ma L (2021) Effect of time-varying exposure to air pollution on subjective well-being. J Clean Prod 281:125364

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu G, Qiao D, Liu Y, Fu X (2022) Does service utilisation improve members’ welfare? Evidence from citrus co-operatives in China. Sustainability 14(11):6755

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu H, Nie P, Sousa-Poza A (2021) The effect of parental educational expectations on adolescent subjective well-being and the moderating role of perceived academic pressure: longitudinal evidence for china. Child Ind Res 14:117–137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma X (2022a) Public medical insurances and subjective well-being in rural China. In: Public medical insurance reforms in China. Springer, Singapore, pp 217–240

  • Ma X (2022b) Medical insurance and out-of-pocket expenses on medical care. In: Public medical insurance reforms in China. Springer, Singapore, pp161–192

  • Manchanda N, Rahut DB (2021) Inpatient healthcare financing strategies: evidence from India. Eur J Dev Res 33(6):1729–1767

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marelich WD, Piercy B (2020) Optimism/pessimism carver and scheier theory. In: The Wiley encyclopedia of personality and individual differences. Wiley, pp 299–303

  • Mladovsky P (2014) Why do people drop out of community-based health insurance? Findings from an exploratory household survey in Senegal. Soc Sci Med 107:78–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • OECD (2015) How’s life? 2015: measuring well-being. OECD Publishing, Paris

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • OECD (2021) Measuring well-being and progress: well-being research. OECD Publishing, Paris

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson C (2006) A primer in positive psychology. Oxford University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Pouw N, Bender K (2022) The poverty reduction effect of social protection: the pros and cons of a multidisciplinary approach. Eur J Dev Res 34:2204–2223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Radcliffe N, Klein W (2002) Dispositional, unrealistic, and comparative optimism: differential relations with the knowledge and processing of risk information and beliefs about personal risk. In: Kaniel R, Massey C, Robinson DT (eds) Optimism without illusion: the impact of experience on expectations

  • Rahman T, Gasbarro D, Alam K (2022) Financial risk protection from out-of-pocket health spending in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review of the literature. Health Res Policy Sys 20(83):1–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Rasmussen HN, Scheier MF, Greenhouse JB (2009) Optimism and physical health: a meta-analytic review. Ann Behav Med 37(3):239–256

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rifkin SB (1986) Lessons from community participation in health programmes. Health Policy Plan 1(3):240–249

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ringle CM, Wende S, Becker JM (2015) SmartPLS. SmartPLS GmbH, Boenningstedt

  • Rosmimah MR, Raja Maimon RY, Rahimah AS, Hasrin AS (2011) Co-operativesIndicator of organizational integrity. Malays J Cooper Stud 7(1):1–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Saloner B (2013) Does expanding public insurance prevent material hardship for families with children? Med Care Res Rev 70:267–286

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarker AR, Sultana M, Mahumud RA (2016) Co-operative societies: a sustainable platform for promoting universal health coverage in Bangladesh. BMJ Glob Health 1:e000052

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheier MF, Carver CS (1985) Optimism, coping, and health: assessment and implications of general outcome expectancies. Health Psychol 4:219–247

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheier MF, Carver CS, Bridges MW (1994) Distinguishing optimism from neuroticism (and trait anxiety, self-mastery, and self-esteem): a re-evaluation of the Life Orientation Test. J Pers Soc Psychol 67:1063–1078

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider SL (2001) In search of realistic optimism. Meaning, knowledge, and warm fuzziness. Am Psychol 56(3):250–263

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Söllner M, Dürnberger M, Keller J, Florack A (2022) The impact of age stereotypes on well-being: strategies of selection, optimisation, and compensation as mediator and regulatory focus as moderator: findings from a cross-sectional and a longitudinal study. J Happiness Stud 23(2):635–665

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sommers BD, Gawande AA, Baicker K (2017a) Health insurance coverage and health—what the recent evidence tells us. N Engl J Med 377(6):586–593

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sommers BD, Maylone B, Blendon RJ, Orav EJ, Epstein AM (2017b) Three-year impacts of the affordable care act: improved medical care and health among low-income adults. Health Aff (proj Hope) 36(6):1119–1128

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stosny S (2011) Anger in the age of entitlement: self-regulation. Psychol Today. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/anger-in-the-age-entitlement/201110/self-regulation

  • Taylor, S. E., & Brown, J. D. (1988). Illusion and well-being: A social psychological perspective on mental health. In Robins, R. W., and Beer, J. S. 2001. Positive Illusions about the Self: Short-Term Benefits and Long-Term Costs. J Pers Soc Psychol 80(2):340–352

  • Tiger L (1979) Optimism: the biology of hope. Simon and Schuster, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsolmon U, Ariely D (2022) Health insurance benefits as a labor market friction: evidence from a quasi-experiment. Strateg Manag J 43(8):1556–1574

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • United Nations (2015) Transforming our world: the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. 21 October. A/RES/70/1. Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform. https://www.twentythirty.com/sustainable/development

  • URT (2001) The community health fund act, 2001. Government Printer, Dar es Salaam

  • URT (2003) The national social security policy. Ministry of labour youth development and sports, Dar es Salaam

  • van Rijn J (2022) The co-operative identity at U.S. credit unions. J Co-Oper Org Manag 10(1):100152

    Google Scholar 

  • Viechtbauer W, Smits L, Kotz D, Budé L, Spigt M, Serroyen J, Crutzen R (2015) A simple formula for the calculation of sample size in pilot studies. J Clin Epidemiol 68(11):1375–1379

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang HH (2010) A theoretical analysis for Chinese new rural co-operative medical system. In: Investing in human capital for economic development in China. World Scientific Publishing Co, pp 201–214

  • Wang Q, Wang J, Gao F (2022) Who is more important, parents or children? Economic and environmental factors and health insurance purchase. North Am J Econ Finance 58:101479

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Winetrobe H, Rice E, Rhoades H, Milburn N (2016) Health insurance coverage and healthcare utilisation among homeless young adults in Venice. CA J Public Health 38(1):147–155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu L, Li C, Gao Y (2021) Regional agricultural co-operatives and subjective well-being of rural households in China. Reg Sci Policy Pract 14(S2):138–158

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

Not applicable.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Contributions

PGN conceptualised and wrote this paper under the supervision and guidance of FAN and SMLS.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Petro G. Nzowa.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors have no competing interest to declare that is relevant to the content of this article.

Ethical approval

Ethical approval for research was obtained from all appropriate authorities.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Nzowa, P.G., Nandonde, F.A. & Seimu, S.M.L. Participation in health insurance and changes in the well-being status of co-operative members in Tanzania. Decision 50, 333–347 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40622-023-00362-z

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40622-023-00362-z

Keywords

JEL Classification

Navigation