Identifying barriers to move to better health coverage: preferences for health insurance benefits among the rural poor population in La Guajira, Colombia. (11th August 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Amaya, Jeannette Liliana; Ruiz, Fernando; Trujillo, Antonio J.; Buttorff, Christine
• Is Part Of: International journal of health planning and management. Volume 31:Number 1(2016)
• Page Start: 126
• Page End: 138
• Publication Date: 2014-08-11
• Subjects: insurance preferences -- rural healthcare -- health insurance coverage -- health insurance benefits; Health planning -- Periodicals; Health services administration -- Periodicals; Santé publique -- Planification -- Périodiques; Santé, Services de -- Administration -- Périodiques; 362.1068
• DOI: 10.1002/hpm.2268
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0749-6753

Abstract

SUMMARY: Even though access to health insurance in Colombia has improved since the implementation of the 1993 health reforms (Law 100), universal coverage has not yet been accomplished. There is still a segment of the population under the low‐income (subsidized) health insurance policy or without health insurance altogether. The purpose of this research was to identify preferences and behavior regarding health insurance among the subsidized rural population in La Guajira, Colombia, and to understand why that population remains under the subsidized health insurance policy. The field experiment gathered information from 400 households regarding their socioeconomic situation, health conditions, and preferences for health insurance characteristics. Results suggest that the surveyed population gives priority to expanded family coverage, physician and hospital choice, and access to specialists, rather than to attributes associated with co‐payments or premiums. That indicates that people value healthcare benefits and family coverage more than health insurance expenses, and policy makers could use these preferences to enroll subsidized population into the contributory regime. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.