Determinants of Health Insurance Uptake Among the Informally Employed in Narok County

Abstract

Affordability and accessibility of healthcare is major issue globally that threatens to impede the realization of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The challenge is more prominent in low income countries and low medium income countries due to high unemployment rates and poverty levels. Health insurance prevents many individuals and families from catastrophic healthcare cost which can drive families into poverty. Therefore, health insurance is an important means of achieving universal health care. In Kenya, the people who are formally employed are covered by National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) because their premiums are paid as statutory deductions. Some employers may also get an extra private health insurance for their workers, thus, the decision is mostly not for the employees to make. Generally, there is a low insurance uptake among informally employed and unemployed in Kenya. The factors contributing as to whether the members of this group are insured or uninsured are understudied thus there is a huge research gap This study analyzed the factors that determine health insurance uptake in Narok County, using cross sectional data. The study employed probit model to carry out the estimations where it reveals that wealth quintile/income is a significant determinant of health insurance uptake in the county This study recommends that the government can consider paying health insurance premiums for the people on the lower wealth quintiles who cannot afford health insurance premiums. The government can also work on improving the household income or wealth index among the informally employed people. This would eliminate or reduce the current gaps that are there due to wealth disparity.