Determinants of catastrophic health expenditure in Vietnam

The Government of Vietnam has set the goal of achieving universal health coverage (UHC) by 2025. Health insurance (HI) is being considered a tool to achieve this goal. However, out-of-pocket spending and catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) remain high. Research evidence on how to reduce these expenditures to achieve UHC is essential. Therefore, this study examines the determinants of CHE, especially the HI factor.

To identify HI participation status and other factors associated with CHE, we use logistic regression on a dataset from the 2016 Vietnam Household Living Standards Survey.

The study finds that HI is a protective factor against CHE, although this result is not always statistically significant across different subsamples. Moreover, the household head's age and employment status, household size, share of the elderly above 60 years, income, illness status, healthcare utilisation, availability of hospitals, commune health stations with medical doctors and place of residence all correlate with household CHE.

Although there has been a rise in HI coverage, the financial protection capacity of HI schemes in Vietnam remains inadequate, particularly for households living in rural areas. Further investigations of the causal effect of HI, other health system factors and CHE in rural settings are necessary to reduce the incidence of CHE. Additionally, policies aimed at groups vulnerable to CHE, such as those with higher incidences of severe illness or inpatient admissions, low income, and higher age, should be considered.