Decreasing Out of Pocket Payment: Direct or Indirect

One of the determinants of health system function is the rate of out of pocket payment (OPP). When it increases to more than ۴۰ percent of non-food expenditure, it is named catastrophic cost; it can destroy family and push it under poverty line. In Iran, in developing ۴th national development plan OPP was considered and one of the goals of the program set for it. By the end of the program, OPP for health should be decreased from ۶۰% to ۳۰%. The program did not achieve to this goal and again in ۵th national developmental program it was focused. In the last years of the ۵th program, the ministry of health and medical education focused on a reform program in which decreasing OPP was the main goal of the first phase. In this reform program direct support of Ministry of health and insurance companies decreased OPP in governmental hospitals. On the other hand the Ministry revised payments to the physicians and tried to Omit under-table payments to the physicians in private sector. After one year, OPP for outpatient was ۶% and for inpatient reported ۳% in governmental sector.

کلیدواژه ها:

Direct or Indirect