Factors influencing health insurance uptake in Uganda

Abstract

The aim of this research work was to assess the factors influencing health insurance uptake in Uganda around central region in particular. This research was guided by the following specific objectives; to establish whether demographic and socio-economic factors are associated with uptake of health insurance, to establish whether frequency of illnesses/injuries suffered by residents in a month is associated with the likelihood of acquiring/using health insurance and to analyze/estimate the significance of the relationship between health insurance uptake and the demographic and socio-economic factors. The study was quantitative in nature and secondary data which was obtained from Uganda Bureau of Statistics for Uganda National Household Survey was used. STATA software was used to analyze the data and frequency tables and percentages were generated to present findings. Chi-square test was used to test the first two hypotheses (i and ii) and logistic regression used to test the third hypothesis (iii) both at 5% level of significance. The Chi-square results revealed that; age, region of residence, income level, employment status, household size, marital status and highest level of education attained were statistically significantly associated with uptake of health insurance each with p-values (p=0.001, p=0.004, p=0.000, p=0.000, p=0.033, p=0.007, p=0.000) respectively which were less than 0.05 at 5% level of significance. However, gender and frequency of illnesses/injuries suffered by residents in a month were found not statistically significantly associated with uptake of health insurance. The logistic regression results revealed that; age, employment status and marital status were statistically significantly associated with uptake of health insurance hence predictors of health insurance since their p-values were less than 0.05 at 5% level of significance. From the research findings, the researcher recommended that; the government should invest in all levels of education, health insurance companies should come up with different schemes of reaching out to residents at different levels of income which include the poor, the middle income earners and the rich by offering different packages of health insurance policies in order to facilitate health insurance uptake by all residents at different income levels. The government should also provide legislative, technical and regulative support in health insurance development and then last but not least insurance companies should come up with health insurance policies that also favor residents with informal employment. The researcher further recommended that insurance companies formulate insurance policies that also favor those with informal employment.