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Health care as a social security benefit: Institutional approaches to extending coverage
Author(s) -
Ron Aviva
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international social security review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.349
H-Index - 28
eISSN - 1468-246X
pISSN - 0020-871X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-246x.2009.01355.x
Subject(s) - social security , pace , statutory law , health care , value (mathematics) , public economics , business , social insurance , health insurance , extension (predicate logic) , economic growth , actuarial science , economics , political science , law , market economy , geography , programming language , geodesy , machine learning , computer science
Reaching universal health‐care coverage requires an appropriate mix of compulsory contributory social insurance schemes, with mechanisms to include the informal‐economy population, and tax‐based social assistance for those whose incomes preclude their own contributions. This article urges a reversal of the trend that favours the separate development of social health insurance by separate health authorities and makes the case for the extension of health‐care coverage using existing formal‐sector social security schemes, not least because they have the necessary political backing and institutional structures. The article reviews reasons for the slow pace of coverage extension to date, and stresses the added value of incorporating health care as a social security benefit while also acknowledging the importance of retaining linkages between statutory and well‐regulated community‐based or micro health‐insurance schemes.