Abstract
Title Expectation, health seeking behavior, and impacts of universal health coverage : people’s viewsAuthor Onchana Na RanongFund source Health Systems Research InstituteYear Print 2005 This paper examines the impact of the 30 Baht Health Care Scheme – a part of the Universal Health Coverage Program – on Thai people. The study is mainly qualitative, employing both focus group and in –depth interviews in order to obtain views from people in the ten provinces throughout all regions of Thailand (including the Bangkok Metropolitan Area). The study sites include both urban and rural communities. The study finds that health seeking behaviors are determined, often concurrently, by one or more of the following factors : income, health care coverage, transportation costs, health status/ sysmptoms, age group, and the information patients have. Although the 30 Baht Scheme reduces some people’s health care expenditure, other opt out of the service because of the lengthy queues and non-confidence in the quality of care, especially high or medium income families. Moreover, unequal treatment on patients with different schemes, especially moral hazards on the provider side, are also often mentioned in the focus groups. While the highest priority of the poor is to acquire low-cost or free health care services, respondents from other income groups place more emphasis on the adequacy of hospitals and personnel-especially doctors, or good treatment from health care personnel. However, most subject would like to have the scheme in place in order to help the poor, and to guard against their own catastrophic illnesses. In general, the 30 Baht Scheme-like other preceding schemes in the past three decades, has enhanced health security for many Thai people. Respondents from various regions noticed improvement in the services, especially that of the front ends of the hospitals. However, the quality of health care still remains an issue that clouds the scheme.
