Determinants of health insurance uptake in Tanzania

Abstract

This study explored socio-demographic, economic, health status-related characteristics linked to enrolment to the insurance scheme. The general objective was to examine the determinants of health insurance uptake in Tanzania with specific objectives; to examine the profile of health insurance schemes, to inspect the influence of socio-demographic, economic and health status-related factors on health insurance uptake and to draw key policy recommendations to improve health insurance uptake in Tanzania. Descriptive statistics and Probit model have been used to analyse data retrieved from Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey and Malaria Indicator Survey (TDHS-MIS 2015-2016). The study established that more than 50 percent of the household were registered under mutual or community-based health insurance scheme while only 2 percent purchased insurance cover privately. Age, marital status, education level, place of residence, occupation, wealth index, health facility visits, reading magazine or newspaper, watching television, listening to the radio and using the internet had a significant association with health insurance uptake. The association of gender, employment status and cigarette smoking to health insurance uptake was not statistically significant. Based on the findings, the paper recommends; designing group-specific campaigns that will target consumers from different socio-demographic background, low premium prices to carter for different economic groups and intensifying mass media to increase access to health insurance information.