Situation Analysis Health

In 1991, a national survey showed that more than two-third of the population were not covered by any health benefit schemes.  The biggest scheme was the low income which covered 16% of the total population.  The second largest was the Civil Servant Medical Benefit Scheme covered 9% of the population.

Since 1991, there have been a number of changes on health benefit schemes. The first was the Social Security Scheme started in 1991 and now covers about 7% of the total population, from working establishment of 10 workers and higher.  The second scheme is the Road Traffic Accident Liability Scheme enforced since 1993.  It is supposed to be the first compulsory universal health insurance coverage against road traffic accident, but failed in its administration because it let the private insurance companies to set up requirements that prevent easy reimbursement.  The third is the strengthening of the public welfare schemes to cover the aged (7% of the population), children under 12 years old (24%) and public subsidy to voluntary health card purchaser (15%) (Pannarunothai S, 1995)

Tangcharoensathien V & Supachutikul A (1993) categorized health benefits schemes into 4 groups and using data from report of the responsible organizations to analyze health benefit coverage.  It was found that 44.4% of the population was not covered by any health benefit scheme, two-thirds of the NSO’s figure.  This was because the Social Security Scheme was not started until June 1991, the Free Medical Care for the Elderly was not started until 1992, and the health welfare scheme for primary school children was not reported during the survey.