From assurance to insurance in Russian health care: the problematic transition

Given the declining health status of the Russian population and the negative social impact of ongoing economic reforms, it is important to understand the nature and scope of Russia's innovations in health care financing.

Data on Russian health care and its financing were gathered from Russian newspapers and journals. US government agency reports, recent press accounts, and the authors' observations and interviews in Russia.

The 1991 statutory basis for the Russian mandatory medical insurance system replaced the traditional, state-funded medical care system with a regional system principally reliant on an enterprise-based with-holding tax plus supplementation by local government and, to a minor extent, federal funds. The regional agent for distribution and management of these funds is a series of Territorial Health Insurance Funds. Implementation thus far has been highly uneven among territories.

An insurance model patterned after the Western example may not be the optimal solution to Russia's current health financing problems. Given the chaotic nature of political and economic reform, Russia may simply not be ready for market-based medical insurance.