Health Microinsurance: A Comparison of Four Publicly-run Schemes - Latin America

This case study presents the conclusions of a comparative review of four health insurance schemes in Latin America by Jens Holst based on research that was originally done for GTZ's InfoSure project.

This case study is quite unique because the schemes in Bolivia, Peru, El Salvador and Paraguay were all driven in one way or another by the government. Three of the schemes were initially set up by the respective ministries of health to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health (i.e., to address millennium development goals), while the fourth scheme (in El Salvador) was created in collaboration with the ministry of education to improve the health care of public school teachers and their dependents.Except for the scheme in El Salvador, these insurance plans are largely financed from tax revenue, with little or no contributions from the beneficiaries.

The analysis of these schemes provides some interesting insights into the design and operations of social protection in health.