The impact of health insurance programs for children: evidence from Vietnam

Area of Science:

• Health Economics
• Public Health Policy
• Child Health Services

Background:

• Vietnam's healthcare system faces challenges in ensuring equitable access for children.
• Understanding the impact of health insurance programs is crucial for policy development.
• Previous research has not fully elucidated the long-term effects of specific insurance types on utilization and expenditure in Vietnamese children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of children's health insurance programs on healthcare utilization and expenditures.
• To compare the effectiveness of student health insurance versus free health insurance programs.
• To analyze the trends in these impacts over time (2006-2012).

Main Methods:

• Utilized four rounds of the Vietnam Household Living Standard Surveys (2006-2012).
• Focused analysis on children aged 6 to 14 years.
• Employed econometric methods to assess the causal effects of insurance on healthcare visits and out-of-pocket spending.

Main Results:

• Both student and free health insurance programs positively impacted the number of healthcare visits.
• The positive effect on healthcare visits increased over time.
• The free health insurance program demonstrated a larger positive impact on visit frequency compared to the student program.
• Free health insurance significantly reduced out-of-pocket health expenditures per visit, while student insurance did not.

Conclusions:

• Children's health insurance programs are effective in increasing healthcare access for children in Vietnam.
• The free health insurance program offers a more comprehensive benefit, enhancing both utilization and affordability.
• Policy interventions should consider expanding free health insurance to maximize benefits for child healthcare.