Analysing the uptake of health insurance among workers in the informal sector in Uganda

Abstract

This research investigates the uptake of health insurance in Uganda, focusing on the factors influencing its adoption and the barriers hindering its expansion. Despite the critical role of health insurance in improving access to healthcare and mitigating out-of-pocket expenses, Uganda faces challenges in achieving widespread coverage. The main aim of the study is to assess the factors influencing the uptake of health insurance among individuals and households in Uganda and to provide recommendations for enhancing health insurance penetration This quantitative study involved distribution of collected data. Univariate analysis, bivariate analysis using regression and multivariate analysis using multiple linear regression were performed on the variables in the study using STATA. The results of the study revealed significant relationships between uptake of health insurance and education level (P= 0.01, ꭓ 2 =14.71). This is where by the increase in the education level leads to increase in the level of uptake of health insurance. There were no relationships between uptake of health insurance and the gender (P= 0.22; ꭓ 2 =1.48) though more males (54.1%) than females (46.8%) have health insurance The study highlights a significant gap between awareness and actual uptake of health insurance among market vendors, influenced by various socio-demographic and socio-economic factors. Addressing these gaps through targeted education, improving accessibility, and building trust can enhance health insurance uptake. The researcher, therefore, concluded that education level was most likely to influence the uptake of health insurance among the market vendors.