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Supporting Partnerships for Greater Access to Healthcare Coverage in the Formal Private Sector

Recognizing the need for stakeholders to better understand the requirements, demand, and opportunities for a low-cost health insurance product, USAID's Strengthening Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) project hosted two events in Kenya and Nigeria to share learning and initiate dialogue among local industrial stakeholders. The workshops concluded that although not a panacea, insurance has the proven capacity to lower OOPs for beneficiaries and the ability to make health systems and delivery channels more effective. This health care financing mechanism deserves more attention and piloting in key target groups, such as low-income earners in the formal sector.

Many countries have experimented with health insurance and are exploring concepts such as community-based health insurance, national health insurance schemes, or social health insurance products. Relatively little focus has been placed, however, on insuring the low-income employment bracket. The will exists, and stakeholders are piloting some programs, but certain challenges are deterring progress, such as high cost, lack of communication and information about insurance products, mistrust of the product or companies providing the product. The full report provides insight into different stakeholders' perspectives on the issues surrounding insurance for low-income employees.