title: Health financing reform in Kenya - assessing the social health insurance proposal.
abstract: Kenya has had a history of health financing policy changes since its independence in 1963. Recently, significant preparatory work was done on a new Social Health Insurance Law that, if accepted, would lead to universal health coverage in Kenya after a transition period. Questions of economic feasibility and political acceptability continue to be discussed, with stakeholders voicing concerns on design features of the new proposal submitted to the Kenyan parliament in 2004. For economic, social, political and organisational reasons a transition period will be necessary, which is likely to last more than a decade. However, important objectives such as access to health care and avoiding impoverishment due to direct health care payments should be recognised from the start so that steady progress towards effective universal coverage can be planned and achieved.
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. guycarrin@gmail.com
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carrin
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: James
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Adelhardt
authors.forename: Ole
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Doetinchem
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Eriki
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.forename: Henri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: van den Hombergh
authors.forename: Joses
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kirigia
authors.forename: Burkard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Koemm
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Korte
authors.forename: Rüdiger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Krech
authors.forename: Cristopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lankers
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Lente
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maina
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Malonza
authors.forename: Inke
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mathauer
authors.forename: Tom Mboya
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Okeyo
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Muchiri
authors.forename: Zipora
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mumani
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nganda
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nyikal
authors.forename: Joyce
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Onsongo
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rakuom
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schramm
authors.forename: Xenia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Scheil-Adlung
authors.forename: Friedeger
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stierle
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Whitaker
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zipperer
mesh_terms: D018166:Health Care Reform; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000191:economics*; D007630:Kenya; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*