William D. Savedoff and Pablo Gottret (eds.). Governing Mandatory Health Insurance: Learning from Experience.
Ahmed, Sofia
William D. Savedoff and Pablo Gottret (eds.). Governing Mandatory
Health Insurance: Learning from Experience. Washington, D.C.: The
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank.
2008.227 pages. US$ 30.00.
Little attention has been paid to the governance of the much needed
mandatory or expanded health insurance programmes in most developing
countries. While most of the existing literature focuses on the
operational features of health insurance systems such as eligibility and
premiums, it overlooks the institutional and political forces that
influence the performance of such programmes. This book highlights the
role played by social, historical and political factors in determining
the success of health insurance programmes. It is divided into 7
chapters out of which the first 5 chapters discuss five dimensions of
governance--coherent decision making structures, stakeholder participation, transparency and information, supervision and regulation,
and consistency and stability--all of which affect the coverage,
efficiency and sustainability of health insurance programmes in the long
run. Each aspect of governance has been illustrated by using experiences
of four countries--Chile, Costa Rica, Estonia, and the Netherlands.
Governing Mandatory Health Insurance provides guidance and offers
various lessons for countries that are interested in reforming or
establishing health insurance systems.
