Like most countries in Central and Southeastern Europe, Albania is currently considering a number of alternative health sector reform strategies to improve the availability, quality and use of primary health care services. However, in order to assess the likely success of such reforms, more needs to be known about the current levels, distribution and determinants of household out-of-pocket spen...

OBJECTIVE To measure the impact of China's New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS) on catastrophic medical payments of rural households in Linyi County, Shandong Province. METHOD In 2005, from a stratified cluster sample of 3101 rural households, we identified 375 households that might be at risk of catastrophic payments by searching through NCMS claims and interviewing key informants. We inter...

BACKGROUND The main aim of this study was to evaluate the achievements of some important goals of Iran's urban family physician plan. This plan was implemented when the country experienced economic instability. We examine whether an economic crisis affects the efficacy of a healthcare program. METHODS We used the household income and expenditures survey data for 2011 (before program implement...

BACKGROUND Poverty is an extreme consequence of out of pocket payments in countries with health systems that do not provide financial risk protection through mandatory health insurance coverage for people in both the formal and informal sectors. The study assessed the determinants of impoverishment due to out of pocket payments in Nigeria. METHODS Secondary data from the Harmonized Nigeria Li...