Health Financing in Thailand. Universal Health Coverage with 3 health financing schemes.

#Thailand #healthcare #UniversalHealthCoverage
The video is part of a series on the Thai health system. The history of health #financing in Thailand and how it led to the major health reforms of 2001, the details of Thailand’s 3 health financing schemes that collectively provide universal coverage, and the implications of payment mechanisms and other features on the health system. Thailand has used nearly 3 decades of experience to shape its health financing reforms of 2001 into an efficient and equitable system built on 3 schemes and that achieves universal coverage that is comparable to wealthy countries but at the spending level of a developing country. Historical experience with the low income card or medical welfare scheme, as well as commitment by the government to healthcare, led to the historical events in 2001 when the 30-baht scheme was implemented under Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
We explore important concepts of risk pooling, cost controls, voluntary enrolment, and adverse selection of high risk populations.
0:00 Introduction
0:30 Health Spending Indicators
4:59 Historical Changes in Health Spending
7:39 Lessons Learned from Medical Welfare Scheme
10:30 Lessons Learned from Voluntary Card Scheme
13:00 Summary of Historical Timeline
13:30 Three Health Financing Schemes
15:39 Civil Servant Medical Benefit Scheme
17:20 Social Security Scheme
18:30 Universal Health Coverage Scheme
21:35 Universal Health Coverage in Thailand
22:40 Benefits of Universal Coverage

[@concisekrevin3802]

Frankly I don’t know much about the UCS. I was searching for its benefit to us, but till now I have no idea about it. Normally, the public hospitals are crowded with poor patients. Richer people tend to go to private one to avoid the crowd.

[@AnthonyKuster]

Yes, while the Universal Coverage Scheme has provided access to health coverage for millions of Thais that would otherwise be unable to pay for it, the hospitals struggle financially. As we know well, so many public hospitals are millions of baht in debt. I would argue this model is still better than the US, though.

[@johnwood8441]

Do you think a singlepayer system would work on a county level in the U.S.

[@AnthonyKuster]

No. Not even Thailand has a single payer. Germany is probably a better model for US. They have non profit insurance groups. More efficiency and competition for lower prices. Problem in US is privatization and inefficiency with several layers of administration (among many others).

[@johnwood8441]

@@AnthonyKuster well I happen to live in a county which has home rule and out local governments are more powerful than the State government. Residents also have the ability to get stuff on the ballot via citizen initiatives. I was hoping to start a universal single payer program for the city and county so as to effectively cover everyone's health needs and in a way "nationalize" healthcare within the city and county. I know it's REALLY complex and difficult to do but I'm trying to learn more about all this from reading books, and scholarly journals, and watching stuff