Strategic purchasing for Universal Health Coverage: Community-based health insurance schemes in Kenya

Abstract

This brief provides an overview of how community-based health insurance schemes (CBHI) function as purchasers of health services in Kenya. It examines the relationship between CBHI and three key actors - health service providers, government, and their members by comparing actual purchasing practices to ideal strategic purchasing practices. It identifies policy design and implementation gaps, factors influencing purchasing performance and provides policy implications of the findings and changes needed to attain the desired set of purchasing activities. It is a companion brief to another that examines private health insurance firms in Kenya