Critical Determinants of Supply of Services in the Nigeria Formal Sector Social Health Insurance Programme

Abstract

Introduction: The principle underpinning the Supply of health insurance services in Nigeria is that as prices increases, the healthcare provider makes more profit and will be motivated to provide more health insurance services to the enrollees. These supplies of health insurance services are therefore influenced by critical determinants that will either make the provider to supply health insurance services or withhold it. Therefore, there is a need to look at those critical factors that can hinder the supply of services in the programme. This study sets out to examine the effect of identified critical determinants on supply of services and also show how much these critical determinants can collectively predict this supply of services. Design/Methodology: This is a cross sectional study using a quantitative approach. Sample size was determined using Cochran formular and calculated sample size was forty six (46). Multistage sampling technique was adopted. Variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics and linear regression method with SPSS version 11. Result: The critical determinants of reimbursement structure, tariff structure, facility number of enrollees and cost of hospital consumables studied had positive impact on the supply of service but the impact of cost of hospital consumable was insignificant (>0.5). Similarly, 95% of changes in the supply of services can be accounted for significantly by the independent variables in this study (p=0.000). Conclusion: Evidences from this study have shown that most of the identified critical determinants studied had significant effect and also collectively could account significantly for changes in the supply of services and so therefore there is a need to properly address these factors so as to achieve the set out objectives in the programme.