Households ’ Willingness to Pay ( WTP ) for the National Health Insurance Scheme ( NHIS ) : The Case of Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State , Nigeria

Ensuring adequate access to healthcare services by the people is a paramount goal of health care delivery policies in Nigeria. One of such initiatives is the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) that the government is test-running for ensuring adequate understanding of its modus operandi and likely constraints. This study examines household’s willingness to pay for National Health Insurance Scheme in Ojo Local Government area of Lagos State. Data were collected from 120 households using structured questionnaires that were administered by personal interviews. Descriptive statistics and Probit regression were used for data analysis. Results show that majority of the households made use of orthodox form of medicine though healthcare facilities were largely perceived to be nonfunctional. Probit regression results showed that expectations of tax reduction, monthly income, marital status and household size, gender and impression of paying much more significantly influenced WTP (p<0.05). It was concluded that National Health Insurance Scheme is a laudable programme but its commencement would be facilitated by ensuring adequate quality of healthcare services and moiré awareness creation. [Omonira OF, Oyekale AS. Households’ Willingness to Pay (WTP) for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS): The Case of Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State, Nigeria. Life Sci J 2012;9(4):3873-3877] (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com. 577