Health Financing Reform in Thailand : Toward Universal Coverage under Fiscal Constraints

Thailand's model of health financing and its ability to rapidly expand health insurance coverage to its entire population presents an interesting case study. Even though it is still a middle-income country with limited fiscal resources, the country managed to reach universal health insurance coverage through three main public schemes: the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS), the Social Security Scheme (SSS), and the Civil Servant Medical Benefit Scheme (CSMBS). The UCS, which is the largest and most instrumental scheme in the expansion of coverage to the poor and to those in the informal sector, is the focus of this report. It describes the nuts and bolts of the UCS as a key component of the health financing system in Thailand. It analyzes Thailand's experience in health insurance coverage expansion within limited fiscal constraints through various mechanisms to contain costs. It also explores the two commonly discussed approaches for the universal coverage movement: the expansion model (starting from covering the poor and formal sector to universal coverage) and the comprehensive approach (covering the entire population at the same time).

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Hanvoravongchai, Piya
Format:	Working Paper biblioteca
Language:	en_US
Published:	World Bank,Washington DC 2013-01
Subjects:	access to health care, access to services, adult mortality, Adult mortality rate, adverse selection, adverse selection problems, aged, big cities, budget allocation, budget cap, budget ceiling, budget constraints, budget increase, budgetary impact, capitation, capitation payment, cataract surgery, catastrophic health expenditure, catastrophic health spending, Center for Health, cervical cancer, cervical cancer screening, child survival, choice of provider, cities, citizens, civil society organizations, clinical staff, clinics, Communicable diseases, community health, cost control, cost sharing, cost-effectiveness, costs of health care, Decision making, demand for services, developing countries, diabetes, diagnosis, Drug Administration, Drug List, drug supply, drugs, early detection, elderly, emergencies, emergency medical care, emergency services, ethical considerations, families, fee schedule, fee schedules, Financial impact, financial incentives, financial risk, financial risks, Global Health, Health Affairs, health care, health care centers, health care finance, health care financing, Health Care Information, health care provider, health care providers, health care provision, Health Care Reform, health care services, Health Care System, health care utilization, health centers, health conditions, Health Coverage, Health Expenditure, health facilities, Health Financing, Health Financing Reform, health financing system, health funding, health information, health insurance, health insurance program, health insurance schemes, health insurance system, health interventions, health needs, Health Organization, health outcomes, Health Policy, health posts, health professionals, health promotion, Health Reforms, health sector, health service, Health Services, health spending share, Health System, health system performance, health systems, Health Systems Research, health workers, health workforce, healthcare, healthcare services, HIV/AIDS, hospital, Hospital Accreditation, hospital beds, hospitals, household surveys, hypertension, ill health, Immunization, incentive payments, incidence analysis, income, income countries, infant, infant mortality, Infant mortality rate, informal sector, informal sector workers, information system, injuries, inpatient admission, inpatient care, Intervention, large population, liability, life expectancy, Life expectancy at birth, Medical Benefit, medical doctors, Medical Services, medication, medicines, Mental Health, Ministry of Education, moral hazard, morbidity, mortality, national campaign, National Health, national health spending, national policy, nationals, number of people, nurses, nursing, outpatient care, outpatient services, patient, patient participation, patients, pharmaceutical companies, pharmacists, Pharmacoeconomics, Physician, Physicians, pocket payments, policy makers, political climate, Political leadership, political party, pregnant women, prescriptions, primary care, private clinics, private hospitals, private insurers, private pharmacies, private sector, provider payment, provision of care, Public Health, public health care, public health insurance, public health insurance scheme, public health services, public hospitals, public insurance, public insurance schemes, public providers, public schemes, public sector, purchaser-provider split, quality care, Quality Control, quality improvement, quality of care, rehabilitation, research community, richer populations, rural areas, screening, service providers, service provision, share of public spending, small enterprises, Social Security, surgery, technical capacity, therapeutics, treatments, Tuberculosis, universal access, universal health insurance coverage, urban areas, user fees, vaccinations, Visits, workers, World Health Organization,
Online Access:	http://hdl.handle.net/10986/13298
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