INTERPRETATION Increased health insurance coverage generally appears to increase access to health care facilities , improve financial protection and improve health status , although findings are not totally consistent .
BACKGROUND Exp and ing public health insurance seeks to attain several desirable objectives , including increasing access to healthcare services , reducing the risk of catastrophic healthcare expenditures , and improving health outcomes .
The extent to which these objectives are met in a real-world policy context remains an empirical question of increasing research and policy interest in recent years .
Does health insurance improve health?: Evidence from a randomized community-based insurance rollout in rural Burkina Faso.
From 2004 to 2006 , a  community-based health insurance ( CBI ) scheme was rolled out in Nouna District , Burkina Faso , with the objective of improving access to health services and population health . We explore the r and om timing of the insurance rollout generated by the stepped wedge cluster-r and omized design to evaluate the welfare and health impact of the insurance program . Our results suggest that the insurance had limited effects on average out-of-pocket expenditures in the target areas , but substantially reduced the likelihood of catastrophic health expenditure . The introduction of the insurance scheme did not have any effect on health outcomes for children and young adults , but appears to have increased mortality among individuals aged 65 and older . The negative health effects of the program appear to be primarily driven by the adverse provider incentives generated by the scheme and the result ing decline in the quality of care received by patients
INTERPRETATION Increased health insurance coverage generally appears to increase access to health care facilities , improve financial protection and improve health status , although findings are not totally consistent .
BACKGROUND Exp and ing public health insurance seeks to attain several desirable objectives , including increasing access to healthcare services , reducing the risk of catastrophic healthcare expenditures , and improving health outcomes .
The extent to which these objectives are met in a real-world policy context remains an empirical question of increasing research and policy interest in recent years .