Journal Article

Assessment of the design and implementation challenges of the National Health Insurance Scheme in Nigeria: a qualitative study among sub-national level actors, healthcare and insurance providers

Adewole, David A., Alawode, Gbadegesin O.

2021

Overview

Background Health insurance is an important mechanism to prevent financial hardship in the process of accessing health care. Since the launch of Nigeria’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in 2005, only 5% of Nigerians have health insurance and 70% still finance their healthcare through Out-Of-Pocket (OOP) expenditure. Understanding the contextualized perspectives of stakeholders involved in NHIS is critical to advancing and implementing necessary reforms for expanding health insurance coverage at national and sub-national levels in Nigeria. This study explored the perspectives of sub-national level actors/stakeholders on the design and implementation challenges of Nigeria’s NHIS. Methods A descriptive case study design was used in this research. Data were collected in Ibadan, Oyo State in 2016 from health insurance regulators, healthcare providers, and policymakers. Key informant interviews (KII) were conducted among purposively selected stakeholders to examine their perspectives on the design and implementation challenges of Nigeria’s National Health Insurance Scheme. Data were analysed using inductive and deductive thematic approaches with the aid of NVIVO software package version 11. Results Implementation challenges identified include abject poverty, low level of awareness, low interest (in the scheme), superstitious beliefs, inefficient mode of payment, drug stock-out, weak administrative and supervisory capacity. The scheme is believed to have provided more coverage for the formal sector, its voluntary nature and lack of legal framework at the subnational levels were seen as the overarching policy challenge. Only NHIS staff currently make required financial co-contribution into the scheme, as all other federal employees are been paid for by the (federal) government. Conclusions Sub-national governments should create legal frameworks establishing compulsory health insurance schemes at the subnational levels. Effective and efficient platforms to get the informal sector enrolled in the scheme is desirable. CBHI schemes and the currently approved state supported health insurance programmes may provide a more acceptable platform than NHIS especially among the rural informal sector. These other two should be promoted. Awareness and education should also be raised to enlighten citizens. Stakeholders need to address these gaps as well as poverty.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Biostatistics / Case studies / Central government / Challenges / Data collection / Design / Environmental Health / Epidemiology / Evaluation / Health care / Health care access / Health care expenditures / Health care industry / Health care policy / Health insurance / Health maintenance Organisations / Health policies / Health services / Healthcare financing / Healthcare providers / Humans / Implementation / Informal economy / Insurance / Insurance Carriers / Insurance coverage / Insurance industry / Insurance, Health / Interest groups / Interviews / Management / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / National health insurance / National Health Insurance Scheme / National Health Programs / Nigeria / Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act 2010-US / Personal expenditure / Policy making / Population / Poverty / Public finance / Public Health / Qualitative Research / Regulators / Research Article / Social health insurance / Stakeholders / Superstition / systems and management in low and middle-income countries / Universal health coverage / Vaccine