The International journal of health planning and management
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Int J Health Plann Manage · Oct 2019
The impact of health reform in Iran on catastrophic health expenditures: Equity and policy implications.
In 2014, the Islamic Republic of Iran launched the Health Transformation Plan (HTP), with the goal of achieving universal health coverage (UHC) through improved financial protection and access to high-quality health services among Iranian households. We aimed to investigate the impact of the HTP on the level and pattern of out-of-pocket (OOP) payments for health care. ⋯ These results suggest that while financial protection of the poor in Iran has improved due to the HTP, more work is needed to achieve UHC in Iran. For the next phase of health reforms, more emphasis should be placed on shifting away from OOP co-payments for health financing to progressive prepayment mechanisms to facilitate better sharing of financial risks across population groups.
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Int J Health Plann Manage · Oct 2019
Lots of little ones: Analysis of charitable donations to a hospice and palliative care unit in Taiwan.
Charitable donations play a major role in the provision of hospice and palliative care (HPC) services, most of which are not reimbursed by health insurance programs. A good understanding of the constitution and use of donations is thus conducive to maintaining a high-quality HPC unit. ⋯ HPC services in Taiwan are sponsored by lots of individuals and small donations. For sustainability of standards-based and quality HPC services, the benevolence of the public should be thus cherished and adequately responded to.