Trust in micro-health insurance: an exploratory study in rwanda

TRUST IN MICRO-HEALTH INSURANCE: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY IN RWANDA CONTENTS * Abstract * Citation * Links ABSTRACT Micro-health insurance (MHI) has been proposed as an alternative to user fees

to improve access to medical care without the threat of financial impoverishment. To enrol in health insurance and pay a premium, consumers should be able to trust that insurers use their

funds to reimburse providers who will deliver quality care when needed. In 1998, shortly after the re-introduction of user fees, the Rwandan Ministry of Health in close collaboration with

the local population developed and implemented MHI in three districts. Member benefits cover preventive and curative care in health centres and ambulance transport to the district hospital

where a limited package of services is also covered by MHI. This paper examines trust-building structures and practices in MHI in Rwanda. It is an exploratory, descriptive analysis using

information collected from focus groups. Findings suggest that MHI managers, providers and policy-makers need to think systematically about a wide range of initiatives that enhance trust and

caring, and to design trust-building structures and practices in the consumer-insurance-provider arrangement. CITATION Social Science and Medicine (2005) 61 (7) 1430-8

[doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.11.074] LINKS Trust in micro-health insurance: an exploratory study in Rwanda UPDATES TO THIS PAGE Published 12 September 2006 Contents