Determinants of Health Insurance Enrollment and Health Expenditure in Ghana: An Empirical Analysis

Kwame Adjei-Mantey and Charles Yuji Horioka

No 30175, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: This paper analyzes the determinants of health insurance enrollment and health expenditure in Ghana using micro data from wave 7 of the Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS 7) with emphasis on the role of risk preferences and the availability of health facilities in one’s own community. It is possible to analyze the determinants of health insurance enrollment in Ghana because its public health insurance system (the National Health Insurance Scheme or NHIS) is, in theory, mandatory, but is, in actual practice, voluntary, with only about 40% of the population enrolled in the scheme. Our empirical findings show that risk preferences have a significant impact on health insurance enrollment, with risk averse individuals being significantly more likely than other households to enroll in health insurance. Moreover, our findings also show that very poor households are significantly more likely to enroll in health insurance than other households, perhaps because they are exempt from paying premiums for health insurance. Finally, our findings also show that the availability of health facilities in one’s own community significantly decreases expenditures on health care.

JEL-codes: D11 D12 D81 I12 I13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022-06
Note: DEV EH
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Published as Kwame Adjei-Mantey & Charles Yuji Horioka, 2023. "Determinants of health insurance enrollment and health expenditure in Ghana: an empirical analysis," Review of Economics of the Household, vol 21(4), pages 1269-1288.

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Related works:
Journal Article: Determinants of health insurance enrollment and health expenditure in Ghana: an empirical analysis (2023)
Working Paper: Determinants of health insurance enrollment and health expenditure in Ghana: An empirical analysis (2022)
Working Paper: Determinants of health insurance enrollment and health expenditure in Ghana: An empirical analysis (2022)
Working Paper: Determinants of Health Insurance Enrollment and Health Expenditure in Ghana: An Empirical Analysis (2022)
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