Key Facts

Community health insurance systems (CHIs) are usually voluntary and are characterized by community members raising funds into an insurance pool to offset health care costs.

Despite high hopes for these systems, evidence suggests that the impact of ISIS on financial protection and access to essential health care for those who are insured is not as significant.

Participation rates in most ISA systems are low, and the poorest remain excluded.

Theory and practice suggest that ISSCs play only a limited role in helping countries move towards universal health coverage (UHC).

However, their use can also have positive effects, such as community development and increased accountability of local health care providers.

ISIS is a type of microhealth insurance, and this general term refers to health insurance intended for low-income populations. A characteristic feature of MSOU is the participation of the community in its organization and management.

For small systems of voluntary ISOU, as a rule, the following features of the institutional arrangement are characteristic.

• Health risk identification and fund pooling occur within a community or group of people who share common characteristics, such as geographic location or occupation.
• Insurance premiums are often fixed and independent of individual health risks.
• Eligibility for insurance benefits in most cases depends on the amount of the contribution.
• Membership is voluntary.
• The system operates on a non-commercial basis.