Measuring Financial Protection in Health

Health systems are not just about improving health: good ones also ensure that people are protected from the financial consequences of receiving medical care. Anecdotal evidence suggests health systems often perform badly in this respect, apparentl...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	Wagstaff, Adam
Format:	Policy Research Working Paper
Language:	English
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2012
Subjects:	ABILITY TO PAY AMOUNT OF MONEY ANNUAL RETURNS BORROWING CALCULATION CALCULATIONS CATASTROPHIC EXPENDITURES CATASTROPHIC HEALTH EXPENDITURE CATASTROPHIC HEALTH SPENDING CHEMOTHERAPY COMMUNITY HEALTH CONTRIBUTION COST OF HEALTH CARE COST OF MEDICAL CARE COSTS OF HEALTH CARE COUNTERFACTUAL CURRENT INCOME DISPOSABLE INCOME ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES ECONOMIC REVIEW EXPENDITURES EXPENSE RATIO FAMILIES FEE SCHEDULE FEE-FOR-SERVICE FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES FINANCIAL PROTECTION FINANCIAL RISK FINANCING HEALTH CARE FOOD EXPENDITURE FOOD EXPENDITURES HEALTH CARE HEALTH CARE COSTS HEALTH CARE SPENDING HEALTH ECONOMICS HEALTH EXPENDITURE HEALTH EXPENDITURES HEALTH FINANCING HEALTH FINANCING REFORM HEALTH FINANCING SYSTEM HEALTH INEQUALITIES HEALTH INSURANCE HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEMES HEALTH INSURANCE SYSTEM HEALTH ORGANIZATION HEALTH OUTCOMES HEALTH POLICY HEALTH REFORM HEALTH SECTOR HEALTH SERVICES HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH HEALTH SPENDING HEALTH SYSTEM HEALTH SYSTEM REFORM HEALTH SYSTEMS HEALTH WORKERS HEALTH-CARE HEALTH-CARE COSTS HOSPITAL COSTS HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE HOUSEHOLD INCOME HOUSEHOLD LIVING STANDARDS HOUSEHOLD SPENDING HOUSEHOLD SURVEY HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS HOUSEHOLD WELFARE HR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT ILLNESS INCOME INCOME DISTRIBUTION INCOME GROUPS INCOME INEQUALITY INCOME QUINTILE INCOME RISK INCOME SOURCE INFORMAL PAYMENTS INPATIENT CARE INSURANCE INSURANCE COVERAGE INSURANCE RATES INTEREST PAYMENTS INTEREST RATE INTEREST RATES LIVING STANDARDS LOAN LOW INCOME LOW-INCOME MEDICAL BILL MEDICAL BILLS MEDICAL CARE MEDICAL CARE COSTS MEDICAL CONSUMPTION MEDICAL COSTS MEDICAL EXPENDITURE MEDICAL EXPENDITURES MEDICAL EXPENSES MEDICINES PATIENTS PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT POCKET PAYMENTS POCKET PAYMENTS FOR HEALTH CARE POLICY RESEARCH POOR POOR FAMILIES POOR HEALTH POVERTY ESTIMATES POVERTY GAP POVERTY LINE POVERTY RATE POVERTY RATES PREPAYMENT SYSTEMS PRIVATE PHARMACIES PRIVATE SECTOR PUBLIC SECTOR RATE OF RETURN REPAYMENTS RESEARCH PROGRAM RURAL RURAL AREAS RURAL HOUSEHOLDS RURAL POPULATION SALES SAVINGS SHARE OF HEALTH SPENDING SOCIAL HEALTH INSURANCE SOCIAL INSURANCE SOCIAL INSURANCE SYSTEM SOCIAL PROTECTION TOTAL COST WORKERS WORTH
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2008/03/9073635/measuring-financial-protection-health http://hdl.handle.net/10986/6570

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Summary:	Health systems are not just about improving health: good ones also ensure that people are protected from the financial consequences of receiving medical care. Anecdotal evidence suggests health systems often perform badly in this respect, apparently with devastating consequences for households, especially poor ones and near-poor ones. Two principal methods have been used to measure financial protection in health. Both relate a household's out-of-pocket spending to a threshold defined in terms of living standards in the absence of the spending: the first defines spending as catastrophic if it exceeds a certain percentage of the living standards measure; the second defines spending as impoverishing if it makes the difference between a household being above and below the poverty line. The paper provides an overview of the methods and issues arising in each case, and presents empirical work in the area of financial protection in health, including the impacts of government policy. The paper also reviews a recent critique of the methods used to measure financial protection.

Measuring Financial Protection in Health

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