Perspective Chapter: Underlying Issues on Uptake of Health Insurance – The Case of Rural Communities

Abstract

Exploring the underlying issues of low uptake of health insurance by rural communities is a subject of growing importance for the attainment of inclusive health. Insurance plays a key role in many aspects of community development, especially the vulnerable and marginalized groups. Agreeably, human health insurance uptake in many developing countries seems to be increasing with the mandatory government policy direction that compels all employed citizens to subscribe to the health insurance policy. This study answers the question why health insurance presents a low uptake in the health systems. We reviewed 55 journal articles and 20 practitioner websites covering the period between 2003 and 2022 to understand the underlying reasons for the low uptake of human health insurance systems, especially among rural communities. The results show that policy direction significantly influences system change for the uptake of health insurance across different stakeholders.