Does a Financing Scheme Matter for Access to Healthcare Service?

Access to healthcareHealthcare is a fundamental human rightHuman rights; however, many people worldwide cannot access healthcare due to financial barriersFinancial barriers. These barriersBarriers are related to the health financing systemHealth financing system, which includes various schemes that differ in risk sharing, service coverageService coverage, funding sources and payment methodsMethod. This study focuses on four major financing schemes (government schemesGovernment schemes, social health insuranceSocial health insurance schemes, voluntary healthHealth insuranceInsurance schemes and out-of-pocket paymentsOut-of-pocket payments), and investigates how variations among them affect access to healthcare servicesAccess to healthcare services. As a result of reviewing literature, including international organizations' reports, this study reveals that all schemes have their own advantagesAdvantages and disadvantagesDisadvantages. In terms of accessibility, out-of-pocket payments have the greatest disadvantagesDisadvantages among the four major financing schemes, while government schemesGovernment schemes have the greatest advantagesAdvantages. Additionally, despite some drawbacks, social health insuranceSocial health insurance schemes are more advantageous than voluntary healthHealth insuranceInsurance schemes. In conclusion, the type of financing scheme chosen plays a significant role in determining the accessibility of healthcareHealthcare services.