Ability to Pay for Future National Health Financing Scheme among Malaysian Households

• Main Authors: Azimatun Noor Aizuddin, Syed Mohamed Aljunid
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Levy Library Press 2017-11-01
• Series: Annals of Global Health
• Subjects: ability to pay; ability to pay for health care; health financing; health financing scheme; national health financing scheme
• Online Access: https://annalsofglobalhealth.org/articles/190
• ISSN: 2214-9996

<p>Background</p><p>Malaysia is no exception to the challenging <a title="Learn more about Health Care Financing" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/health-care-financing">health care financing</a> phenomenon of globalization.</p><p>Objectives</p><p>The objective of the present study was to assess the ability to pay among Malaysian households as preparation for a future national health financing scheme.</p><p>Methods</p><p>This was a <a title="Learn more about Cross Sectional Study" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/cross-sectional-study">cross-sectional study</a> involving representative samples of 774 households in Peninsular Malaysia.</p><p>Findings</p><p>A majority of households were found to have the ability to pay for their health care. Household expenditure on health care per month was between MYR1 and MYR2000 with a mean (standard deviation [SD]) of 73.54 (142.66), or in a percentage of per-month income between 0.05% and 50% with mean (SD) 2.74 (5.20). The final analysis indicated that ability to pay was significantly higher among younger and higher-income households.</p><p>Conclusions</p>Sociodemographic and <a title="Learn more about Socioeconomic Status" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/socioeconomic-status">socioeconomic statuses</a> are important eligibility factors to be considered in planning the proposed national health care financing scheme to shield the needed group from catastrophic <a title="Learn more about Health Expenditures" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/health-expenditures">health expenditures</a>.