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Is the Pro-Poor Premium Exemption Policy of Ghana’s NHIS Reducing Disparities Among the Elderly?

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Abstract

Under the act that established the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), persons 70 years of age or above are automatically enrolled in the scheme and therefore can access health services free at the point of use. This suggests that the elderly who are unable to afford the premiums of private health insurance can enrol in the NHIS thereby eliminating the possibility of disparities in health insurance coverage. Notwithstanding, few studies have examined health insurance coverage among the elderly in Ghana. The lack of studies on the elderly in Ghana may be due to limited data on this important demographic group. Using data from the Study on Global Ageing and Health and applying logit models, this paper investigates whether the pro-poor exemption policy is eliminating disparities among the elderly aged 70 years and older. The results show that disparities in insurance coverage among the elderly are based on respondents’ socio-economic circumstances, mainly their wealth status. The study underscores the need for eliminating health access disparities among the elderly and suggests that the current premium exemptions alone may not be the solution to eliminating disparities in health insurance coverage among the elderly.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Planning, Mackintosh-Corry Hall, Queen’s University, 99 University Drive, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada

    Vincent Z. Kuuire

  2. Department of Sociology, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, 232 Prince Phillip Drive, St. John’s, NL, A1C 5S7, Canada

    Eric Y. Tenkorang

  3. Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W., Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada

    Andrea Rishworth

  4. Department of Geography, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ON, N6A 5C2, Canada

    Isaac Luginaah

  5. Department of Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana

    Alfred E. Yawson

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  1. Vincent Z. Kuuire
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  2. Eric Y. Tenkorang
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  3. Andrea Rishworth
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  4. Isaac Luginaah
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  5. Alfred E. Yawson
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Correspondence to Vincent Z. Kuuire.

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Kuuire, V.Z., Tenkorang, E.Y., Rishworth, A. et al. Is the Pro-Poor Premium Exemption Policy of Ghana’s NHIS Reducing Disparities Among the Elderly?. Popul Res Policy Rev 36, 231–249 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-016-9420-2

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