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Effect of the Ghana National Health Insurance Scheme on exit time from catastrophic healthcare expenditure

Author

Listed:
  • Albert Opoku Frimpong
  • Eugenia Amporfu
  • Eric Arthur

Abstract

Catastrophic healthcare expenditure (CHE) can plunge households into poverty. Faced with CHE, the question that becomes relevant is how long it will take the household to exit CHE. This paper examines the effect of the Ghana National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) on exit time from CHE. The paper uses the Cox proportional hazard model for the analysis, with data sourced from round six of the Ghana Living Standard Survey and World Development Indicators. The results show that households that spend 40% (20%) of their non‐food incomes on healthcare, on average, exit CHE after 10 months and 4 days (13 months and 24 days) being in CHE and those with NHIS coverage exit CHE 19 days (30 days) earlier than those without NHIS coverage. Policy implications arising from this paper include the need to expand NHIS enrolment to mitigate impoverishment due to out‐of‐pocket healthcare payments. Households with higher risks of severe CHE and longer exit time from CHE should be identified and provided with comprehensive NHIS coverage than those with lower risks.

Suggested Citation

  • Albert Opoku Frimpong & Eugenia Amporfu & Eric Arthur, 2021. "Effect of the Ghana National Health Insurance Scheme on exit time from catastrophic healthcare expenditure," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 33(3), pages 492-505, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:afrdev:v:33:y:2021:i:3:p:492-505
    DOI: 10.1111/1467-8268.12585
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    Cited by:

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    2. Tao Li & Yi-Tong Zhang & He-Wen Zhu & Peng-Ju Liu, 2022. "Floating Population, Housing Security and Family Medical Economic Risk," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-17, September.
    3. Tewa Papy Voto & Nicholas Ngepah, 2025. "Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditure in Sub Saharan Africa: The Role of Government and External Health Expenditures," Economies, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-21, April.

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