Willingness to Pay (WTP) for Community-based Health Insurance Scheme (CBHIS) in a Nigerian State

Background: Since the turn of the millennium, efforts across the world have been aimed at promoting good living and reducing poverty. This has resulted in countries taking necessary steps to ensure increased access to affordable health care by promoting Universal Health Coverage. Nigeria is not an exemption especially as private health spending has its own substantial impoverishing effects on households. Objective: The objective of this study was to study willingness to pay (WTP) for Community-based Health Insurance Scheme in a Nigerian State. Materials and Methods: The study sample was purposively selected to cover the three senatorial zones of Enugu State, Nigeria. A questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents that were randomly selected. Focus group discussions were held to collect qualitative data. Key variables which included WTP for in- and outpatient care for the different stated amount of of money in naira and dollar: ₦400 ($1.0), ₦500 ($1.25), ₦1000 ($2.5) or more) were compared across socio-economic status (SES) groups using “asset holding and level of WTP” with the groups classified into SES quartiles. Results: Most respondents were neither WTP a minimum of ₦400 ($1.0) nor a maximum of ₦1000 ($2.5) for inpatient or outpatient care. The overall maximum amount to pay by the groups was ₦500 ($1.25), whereas the minimum amount across the communities was ₦50 ($0.125). Conclusion: There was a ceiling of maximum/minimum willing amounts to pay across the different socio-economic strata and these ceilings were observed to be low.