Research Team: Watchai Charunwathana and Pongsa Pornchaiwiseskul.
TOR 5.3: Impact on households and populations
As the majority of UCS members live in households with relatively lower economic
status compared with members of the two other public health insurance
schemes (CSMBS and SSS) this study sought to determine if the tax-financed UCS
could maintain the pro-poor government subsidy for health services. In addition,
because the UCS was designed to reduce out-of-pocket payments, health
impoverishment at an aggregate level, especially for the previously uninsured
near-poor households, should have reduced after the UCS was introduced.
The impact of the UCS on poverty was examined by comparing the magnitude
of impoverished households among the economically inactive and informal
employment sectors (the majority of the UCS members) with the rest of the
population.
Another part of this study explored whether the closed-end provider payment
mechanism compromised service quality, made health-care providers less
responsive to people’s expectations, and/or jeopardized population health.