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Private
health insurance (also known as voluntary health insurance)
has been available in Sri Lanka for three decades. While
it has not been of major importance as a financing mechanism
in the health sector, the recent development of the insurance
sector generally and the expansion of private health services
have led to an increased level of interest by policy-makers
in private insurance. The 1992 Presidential Task Force on
Formulation of a National Health Policy for Sri Lanka (1993)
proposed the vigorous promotion of private health insurance
as a means both of increasing resource mobilization for
the health sector, and reducing the burden on the government’s
limited health care resources. Subsequently both the government
and donors, the latest of which was the Asian Development
Bank, have commissioned reports on the potential role of
health insurance in Sri Lanka. Much of this analysis has
not been based on actual empirical research.
This paper presents some recent empirical
analysis of private health insurance schemes in Sri Lanka.
It places the findings of this analysis in the context of
what is known from the operation of health insurance markets
in other countries, and what would be expected from economic
theory. It finally discusses the implications of the findings
for both public policy, as well as the insurance companies
themselves.
Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- Development of Insurance in Sri Lanka
- As assessment of PHI in Sri Lanka
- Conclusions
- Implications
- References
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