Health insurance in Myanmar: Knowledge, perceptions, and preferences of Social Security Scheme members and general adult population

Abstract

Summary Objective Our study explores the knowledge, perceptions, willingness to pay, and preferences of potential health insurance beneficiaries about health insurance in Myanmar. Methods Cross‐sectional survey data were collected among two samples: the general population and Social Security Scheme (SSS) member. Mann‐Whitney U test and independent sample t test were applied to compare the two samples. The data on willingness to pay for health insurance were analyzed using regression analysis. Results Low level of knowledge and weak positive perception are found in both samples. More than 90% of the SSS sample and 75% of the general sample are willing to pay health insurance premiums. The largest shares of both samples are willing to pay for monthly premiums between 2000 and 4000 MMK (1.8‐3.6 USD). Health status, age, gender, income, and trust are significantly associated with willingness to pay for health insurance among general sample while occupation, civil status, income, and positive perception on prepayment principle are found among SSS sample. Conclusions The government of Myanmar should be aware of the preferences of beneficiaries to pay a relatively low level of monthly health insurance premiums without co‐payment.

Health insurance awareness and its uptake in India: a systematic review protocol

“…A study conducted in Uganda reported that about 34% of the studied population were not aware of health insurance. 1 Whereas, proportion of people having inadequate knowledge about health insurance was found to be high in countries such as India (46%), 5 Myanmar (66%) 3 and Hispanic American in the USA (70%). 19 Familiarity or awareness of the insurance schemes increases the utilisation of health insurance and subsequently help in healthcare uptake.…”

“…1 People living in the LMICs rely majorly on out-of-pocket payments as the prime source for managing healthcare expenses, that results in a massive demand for services and financial burden of households (usually catastrophic), which in turn leads to impoverishment. [1][2][3][4][5] It is projected that every year approximately 150 million people experience financial catastrophe, by spending more than 40% on health expenses other than food. 6 Families generally spend more than 10% of the household income on illness-related expenses, due to which other household expenses are affected.…”

Transforming health systems financing in Lower Mekong: making sure the poor are not left behind

“…OOP, out-of-pocket. Sources: World Health Organization (2018); World Bank (2018); Myint et al (2018); and Sydavong et al (2019).…”

Attitudes toward Health Systems Financing in Chile

“… 16 In Sweden, a gap has been found between public expectations and medical attention resources, making it even more important to have clarity on who must be accountable for resource allocation in public healthcare. 17 Research about citizen’s opinions in developing countries has focused primarily on willingness to pay for health insurance, for example, Myanmar, 18 Ethiopia, 18 and Uganda. 18 More related to our work is the study of the associations between satisfaction with the health care system and its determinants in Armenia 19 ; public attitudes toward health insurance and its reform in Croatia 20 ; the analysis of public opinion on universal health care coverage on health care affordability and financing issues in South Africa 21 ; and the study of attributes of health insurance benefit packages in Iran.…”

“…17 Research about citizen's opinions in developing countries has focused primarily on willingness to pay for health insurance, for example, Myanmar, 18 Ethiopia, 18 and Uganda. 18 More related to our work is the study of the associations between satisfaction with the health care system and its determinants in Armenia 19 ; public attitudes toward health insurance and its reform in Croatia 20 ; the analysis of public opinion on universal health care coverage on health care affordability and financing issues in South Africa 21 ; and the study of attributes of health insurance benefit packages in Iran. 21 This article aims to gain a deeper understanding of attitudes toward health financing through the application and analysis of a scale developed especially for this goal.…”