Do Subsidized Health Programs in Armenia Increase Utilization among the Poor?

This article analyzes the extent to which the Basic Benefit Package (BBP), a subsidized health program in Armenia, increases utilization and affordability of outpatient health care among the poor. The authors find that beneficiaries of the BBP pay approximately 45 percent less in fees for doctor visits (and display 36 percent higher outpatient utilization rates) than eligible users not receiving the BBP. However, even among BBP beneficiaries the level of outpatient health care utilization remains low. This occurs because the program mainly provides discounted fees for doctor visits, but fees do not constitute the main financial constraint for users. The authors estimate suggest that other non-fee expenditures, such as prescription medicines, constitute a more significant financial constraint and are not subsidized by the BBP. As a result, outpatient health care remains expensive even for BBP beneficiaries.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Jain, Shweta, Angel-Urdinola, Diego F.
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2006-09
Subjects:	ARTICLE, BENEFICIARIES, CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS, COST OF TREATMENT, COSTS OF TREATMENT, DEMAND FOR HEALTH, DEMAND FOR HEALTH CARE, DENTAL SERVICES, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DISABILITY, DISEASES, DOCTORS, EARTHQUAKE, ECONOMIC CONDITIONS, ECONOMIC REVIEW, ECONOMIC STATUS, EDUCATION, EMERGENCY TREATMENT, EQUITY IN ACCESS, ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS, EXPENDITURE OUTCOMES, EXPENDITURES, EXPENDITURES ON HEALTH, FAMILIES, FAMILY INCOME, FAMILY MEMBERS, FINANCIAL BURDEN, FINANCIAL CONSTRAINT, HEALTH, HEALTH CARE, HEALTH CARE SERVICES, HEALTH CARE UTILIZATION, HEALTH ECONOMICS, HEALTH EXPENDITURE, HEALTH EXPENDITURES, HEALTH FINANCING, HEALTH OUTCOMES, HEALTH PROGRAM, HEALTH PROGRAMS, HEALTH SERVICE, HEALTH SERVICES, HEALTH STATUS, HEALTH SYSTEMS, HOME VISITS, HOSPITAL, HOSPITAL SERVICES, HOSPITALS, HOUSEHOLD ASSETS, HOUSEHOLD INCOME, HOUSEHOLD LEVEL, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, INCOME COEFFICIENT, INFORMAL CARE, INFORMAL PAYMENTS, INPATIENT CARE, INTERNATIONAL POLICY, LABOR FORCE, LIMITED RESOURCES, MALARIA, MARKET PRICES, MEDICAL CARE, MEDICAL TREATMENT, MEDICINES, MIGRATION, MORBIDITY, MORTALITY, NURSES, OUTPATIENT CARE, OUTPATIENT SERVICES, PATIENT, PATIENTS, PENSIONS, PHYSICIANS, PLACE OF RESIDENCE, POLICY RESEARCH, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, POOR HEALTH, POOR HOUSEHOLDS, POPULATION CENSUS, POPULATION STRUCTURE, POSTNATAL CARE, PRACTITIONERS, PREGNANT WOMEN, PRESCRIPTION DRUGS, PRESCRIPTION MEDICINES, PRICE ELASTICITY, PROBABILITY, PROGRESS, PROVISION OF SERVICES, PUBLIC EXPENDITURE, PUBLIC EXPENDITURE ON HEALTH, PUBLIC HEALTH, PUBLIC HEALTH CARE, PUBLIC SERVICES, QUALITY OF HEALTH CARE, RURAL AREAS, SCHOOL FEES, SECTOR PROGRAMS, SEX, SHARE OF HEALTH EXPENDITURE, SINGLE MOTHER, SOCIAL ASSISTANCE, SOCIAL POLICIES, SOCIAL POLICY, SOCIAL SECTOR, SOCIAL SECTORS, SOCIAL SERVICES, STATE TREASURY, STDS, SURGERY, TRANSPORTATION, TUBERCULOSIS, UNEMPLOYMENT, UNIFORMS, USER FEES, VULNERABLE GROUPS, WAR,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2006/09/7081677/subsidized-health-programs-armenia-increase-utilization-among-poor https://hdl.handle.net/10986/9277
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