Impact of Education on Informal Workers Willingness-to-Pay and Knowledge of Health Insurance
This paper assesses the impact of educational intervention on knowledge, attitude, and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for health insurance using occupational solidarity. It also explores the views of relevant actors on occupational solidarity-based health insurance. The study offered educational intervention on occupational solidarity and health insurance to a group of informal sector workers. Educational sessions took place once a week for three weeks for each occupational group. Based on multiple regression analysis and experimental design, the study indicates that:
- Educational intervention has improved the knowledge and WTP for health insurance among informal sector workers in Bangladesh;
- WTP for participating in health insurance is 33.8% higher among workers who joined the educational intervention in comparison with the control group who did not;
- Health insurance using occupational solidarity is feasible in the Bangladeshi context;
- Educational modules should be comprehensive.
The study concludes that governments of low- and middle income countries can consider health insurance using occupational solidarity as a potential complementary source of funding along with indirect taxes for financing healthcare of informal sector workers.
