Table 3.
Is the Ghana NHIS a social health insurance scheme?
| Key criteria | How the NHIA performs |
|---|---|
| Is legislated by government and requires regular, compulsory contributions by specified population groups (usually initially covering those in formal employment and their dependants, and then gradually extending to other groups) | The NHIA meets these criteria to some extent, but rather than building up coverage of non-formal groups over time, it has built those in from the start, funded from large tax subsidies. Only around one-third of members have made any financial contribution. 70% of the funding is tax-based. |
| Has an income-related contribution schedule (i.e. premiums are calculated according to ability to pay), which is uniform even if the SHI consists of a number of health funds serving as the financing intermediaries for the SHI | The NHIA payments are only income-related for the 3% of the population which are formal sector members. For informal members, there is a flat rate premium per person. |
| Has a standardized, prescribed minimum benefit package | The NHIS does have a standardized, prescribed minimum benefit package |
Source: criteria taken from [11]