Preferences for benefit packages for community-based health insurance: an exploratory study in Nigeria.
BACKGROUND
It is important that community-based health insurance (CBHI) schemes are designed in such a way as to ensure the relevance of the benefit packages to potential clients. Hence, this paper provides an understanding of the preferred benefit packages by different economic status groups as well as urban and rural dwellers for CBHI in Southeast Nigeria.


METHODS
The study took place in rural, urban and semi-urban communities of south-east Nigeria. A questionnaire was used to collect information from 3070 randomly picked household heads. Focus group discussions were used to collect qualitative data. Data was examined for links between preferences for benefit packages with SES and geographic residence of the respondents.


RESULTS
Respondents in the rural areas and in the lower SES preferred a comprehensive benefit package which includes all inpatient, outpatient and emergencies services, while those in urban areas as well as those in the higher SES group showed a preference for benefit packages which will cover only basic disease control interventions.


CONCLUSIONS
Equity concerns in preferences for services to be offered by the CBHI scheme should be addressed for CBHI to succeed in different contexts.
Onwujekwe
Obinna
O
Health Policy Research Group, Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Enugu-Campus, Enugu.
Onoka
Chima
C
Uguru
Nkoli
N
Nnenna
Tasie
T
Uzochukwu
Benjamin
B
Eze
Soludo
S
Kirigia
Joses
J
Petu
Amos
A
D019058:Community Networks; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007342:Insurance Benefits; D007348:Insurance, Health; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires