Health insurance uptake among green grocers in Roysambu constituency Nairobi City County, Kenya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20253659Keywords:
Green grocers, Health insurance, UptakeAbstract
Background: According to WHO, approximately 1.3 billion people globally lack access to essential health services and medication. Barriers such as long wait times, high out-of-pocket costs, inadequate facilities, and staff shortages worsen the situation. In Kenya, only about 20% of the population has health insurance, with other reports suggesting as low as 11%, leaving a majority uninsured. This highlights the urgent need for inclusive health policies, particularly for low-income groups like green grocers (Mama Mboga).
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Roysambu Constituency, Nairobi County, targeting 168 green grocers. Pretested questionnaires gathered quantitative and qualitative data. SPSS was used for descriptive statistics (percentages, frequencies, averages) and inferential statistics (regression, Pearson correlation). Content analysis offered additional insights into participants’ responses. Multiple regression analysis identified factors influencing health insurance uptake.
Results: Among respondents, 55.35% had enrolled in health insurance, while 44.65% had not, indicating significant gaps in coverage. Additionally, 53.26% had experienced family hospital admissions, underscoring healthcare needs. Income levels varied: 43.45% earned over Ksh 20,000; 26.79% earned Ksh 11,000-20,000; 22.62% earned Ksh 6,000-10,000; and 7.14% earned below Ksh 5,000. These income disparities strongly relate to insurance decisions.
Conclusions: Economic factors, particularly income and premium affordability, play a critical role in health insurance uptake. Addressing these barriers is essential for promoting equitable healthcare access, especially among informal workers like green grocers.
Metrics
References
Bhat R, Jain N. Factors influencing the demand for health insurance in a micro insurance scheme. Indian Institute of Management; 2006.
Boateng D, Awunyor-Vitor D. Health insurance in Ghana: evaluation of policy holders’ perceptions and factors influencing policy renewal in the Volta region. Int J Equity Health. 2013;12(1):50. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-9276-12-50
Bourne PA, Moureen Keer-Campbell M. Determinants of self-rated private health insurance coverage in Jamaica. Health. 2020;2:541-50.
Bourne AP, Kerr-Campbell DM. Determinants of self-rated private health insurance coverage in Jamaica. Health. 2018;2(6):541-50. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/health.2010.26081
Carapinha JL, Ross-Degnan D, Desta AT, Wagner AK. Health insurance systems in five Sub-Saharan African countries: medicine benefits and data for decision making. Health Policy. 2011;99(3):193-202. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2010.11.009
Chan M. Making fair choices on the path to universal health coverage. Health Syst Reform. 2019;2(1):5-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23288604.2015.1111288
Chandran E. Research methods, Nairobi: Star bright services limited, Kenya. 2019.
Chankova S, Atim C, Hatt LE. Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme. The Impact of Health Insurance in Low- And Middle-Income Countries. 2010;58-88.
Merzel C. Gender differences in health care access indicators in an urban, low-income community. Am J Public Health. 2000;90(6):909. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.90.6.909
Cooper DR, Schindler PS. Business research methods, 8th edn. Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi, India; 2010.
Cox TJ. The importance of research in determining organizational effectiveness. Int J Manage Rev. 2012;2:4.
Dalaba M, Akweongo P, Aborigo R, Ataguba J. To insure or not to insure: The influence of insurance status on health seeking behaviour in the Kassena-Nankana district of Ghana. Afr J Health Sci. 2012;21(3-4):161-73.
Dalinjong PA, Laar AS. The national health insurance scheme: perceptions and experiences of health care providers and clients in two districts of Ghana. Health Econ Rev. 2018;2(1):13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/2191-1991-2-13
Doyle C, Panda P. Factors Influencing Uptake of Micro insurance Products in Rural India. Micro insurance Academy (MIA). 2011.
Owusu-Sekyere E, Chiaraah A. Demand for health Insurance in Ghana: what factors influence enrollment? Am J Public Health Res. 2019;2(1):27-35 DOI: https://doi.org/10.12691/ajphr-2-1-6
Edward NA. Demand for health insurance among women in Ghana: Cross sectional evidence. Int J Finance Econ. 2019;33.
Ensor T, Cooper S. Overcoming barriers to health services, influencing the demand side. Health Policy Plann. 2019;19(2). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czh009
Evans DB, Etienne C. Health systems financing and the path to universal coverage. Bull World Health Organ. 2010;88:402-3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2471/BLT.10.078741
Fang K, Ben C, Shuangge M. Health Insurance Coverage, Medical Expenditure coping strategy: Evidence from Taiwan. BMC Health Serv Res. 2020;12:442. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-12-442
Fisher C. Researching and writing a dissertation: a guidebook for business students. Essex, England: Pearson Education Limited; 2012.
Freeman K, Zhang L. (2019). The National Health Insurance Schemes in Ghana: Prospects and challenges. A cross- sectional evidence. Glob J Health Sci. 2019;3(2).
Lagomarsino G, Garabrant A, Adyas A, Muga R, Otoo N. Moving towards universal health coverage: health insurance reforms in nine developing countries in Africa and Asia. Lancet. 2012;380(9845):933-43. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61147-7
Lagomarsino G, Kundra SS. Overcoming the challenges of scaling voluntary risk pools in low-income settings. Development. 2008:1-13.
Harmon C, Finn C. A dynamic model of demand for private health insurance in Ireland. Institute of the Study of Labor. 2019.
Shaw RP. Social health insurance for developing nations. World Bank Publications; 2007.
James C, Savedoff W. Risk pooling and redistribution in health care: an empirical analysis of attitudes toward solidarity. World Health Report; 2010.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
