Mainstreaming health insurance for people with disabilities

Many low- and middle-income countries have introduced public health insurance schemes to increase access to health care and provide financial protection against the costs of care for disadvantaged groups. Using national health household survey data from Vietnam and an appropriate two-part model, this paper examines the targeting effectiveness of public health insurance schemes and their impact on health care utilization for persons with disabilities. Results suggest that current community-based targeting methods are not effective, and that insurance mechanisms are an unsatisfactory buffer for inpatient-related costs to which persons with disabilities are prone. A higher level of disability targeting is recommended, both in terms of eligibility and benefits.