Community‐Based Health Insurance scheme implementation in Ethiopia: A mini‐review on the experience and its implementation process

• Published date: 01 December 2022
• Author: Yonas Getaye Tefera,Asnakew Achaw Ayele
• Date: 01 December 2022
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/wmh3.539

Received: 19 August 2021

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Revised: 30 March 2022

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Accepted: 6 April 2022

DOI: 10.1002/wmh3.539

COMMENTARY

Community‐Based Health Insurance scheme

implementation in Ethiopia: A mini‐review on

the experience and its implementation

process

Yonas Getaye Tefera |Asnakew Achaw Ayele

School of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and

Health Sciences, University of Gondar,

Gondar, Ethiopia

Correspondence

Yonas Getaye Tefera, School of Pharmacy,

College of Medicine and Health Sciences,

University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.

Email: yonas1get@gmail.com

Abstract

The Community‐Based Health Insurance (CBHI)

scheme was introduced in Ethiopia to overcome the

population's over‐reliance on direct out‐of‐pocket

expenditures for health care and the associated low

level of health service utilization. CBHI is an advance

payment arrangement, established on the household

level, and targeted mainly at informal sectors in rural

areas. After a successful 3‐year pilot implementation,

the Ethiopian government decided to expand the CBHI

scheme implementation. It has received wide interest

among community members, especially those living

with chronic diseases and perceived impaired family

health status. Low enrollment to the scheme was the

barrier to its initial expansion due to limited awareness

and misconceptions about the program, financial

constraints to paying premiums, and dissatisfaction

with the health services. The evaluation of CBHI

scheme implementation and future implications in

Ethiopia could be better seen from both the learning

experience during the implementation process and

achievements of the policy objectives.

KEYWORDS

Community‐Based Health Insurance scheme, Ethiopia, health policy

implementation

Key points

•Community‐Based Health Insurance (CBHI) was

introduced in Ethiopia to reduce out‐of‐pocket expen-

ditures, ensure citizens' access to and utilization of

essential health services

World Med. & Health Policy. 2022;14:798–807.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/wmh3798

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