Factors Explaining access to Health Insurance by Women of Reproductive Ages in Ethiopia

Abstract

Ethiopia’s health service provision and outcomes are among the worst in sub-Saharan Africa. Administration of functioning health insurance offers the people better access to health services because of reduction in out-of-pocket payments. This paper analyzed access of women to health  insurance in Ethiopia. The 2011 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data for child births were used. The comprised of 10,386 women and were analyzed using Two-Stage least Square Probit Regression. Results show that majority of the women (75.92 percent) had no formal education while the highest proportion (22.20 percent) belonged to age group 35-39 years. Only 1.47 percent read newspapers at least once per week while 10.85 percent watched television at least once per week. Less than 1 percent of them actually had any form of insurance with 0.18 percent into mutual community health insurance and 0.31 percent provided by employers. Wealth index significantly increased access to health insurance while women’s age reduced it. It was recommended stakeholders in the Ethiopian health sector should intensify efforts at putting in place efficient health insurance policy with considerations given to regional balancing, poor households and the aged.

Keywords: Health insurance, women, reproductive ages, Ethiopia