Introduction Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CHIS) in Kerala is a modification of the national social health insurance scheme called Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY). We aimed to (a) compare the socio-demographic and health utilization pattern (outpatient and inpatient services) of below poverty line (BPL) households insured under CHIS; (b) find the percentage hospitalization covere...

OBJECTIVE To explore what happened to poor women in Bangladesh once they reached a hospital providing comprehensive emergency obstetric care (EmOC) and to identify support mechanisms. DESIGN Mixed methods qualitative study. SETTING Large government medical college hospital in Bangladesh. SAMPLE Providers and users of EmOC. METHODS Ethnographic observation in obstetrics unit including in...

One important benefit gained by the millions of Americans with health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is protection from high out-of-pocket health spending. While Medicaid unambiguously reduces out-of-pocket premium and medical costs for low-income people, it is less certain that marketplace coverage and other types of insurance purchased to comply with the law's individual mand...

BACKGROUND High levels of satisfaction among women with the antenatal care services will increase the compliance of antenatal visits during pregnancy. Thus, this study was done to assess the level of satisfaction among women on the quality of antenatal care received and the factors influencing thereof. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study conducted in the three zones of Sarawak. Women age...

The percentage of Americans with high medical cost burdens--those who spend more than 10 percent of their family income on out-of-pocket expenses for health care--increased to 19.2 percent in 2011, after having stabilized at 18.2 percent during the Great Recession of 2007-09. The increase was driven primarily by growth in premium expenses in 2009-11 for people with employer-sponsored coverage. ...

More than eight million children risk having their health insurance coverage disrupted if federal funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is not extended beyond 2017. In this study we explored two current policy alternatives: extending federal funding for CHIP or enrolling children in the existing health insurance Marketplace plans. We simulated annual out-of-pocket expenses ...

BACKGROUND Most U.S. abortion patients are poor or low-income, yet most pay several hundred dollars out of pocket for these services. This study explores how women procure these funds. METHODS iPad-administered surveys were implemented among 639 women obtaining abortions at six geographically diverse healthcare facilities. Women provided information about insurance coverage, payment for servi...