Can Health Insurance Protect Against Catastrophic Health Expenditures in Iran? A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

The results of previous Iranian studies on the protective effect health insurance catastrophic expenditures (CHE) are inconsistent. Therefore, aim this meta-analysis was to summarize all existent evidence. We searched international and scientific databases for relevant literature. Using a Mantel–Haenszel random-effects model, pooled odds ratios (OR) were calculated. Subgroup meta-analyses performed considering type study population. OR risk facing CHE 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.68–1.28). two types statistically insignificant. Health does not effectively provide financial protection against in Iran. Expanding prepayment mechanism integrating funds can be good strategies protecting people from CHE. More attention should paid design benefit package cover chronic diseases.