Advantages and Challenges of Implementation and Strategies for Health Insurance in Saudi Arabia: A Systemic Review

Abstract

The Saudi Vision 2030 emphasizes the need for health insurance in terms of both economic growth and lowering government healthcare costs. Recently, the Saudi Ministry of Health has requested the private sector to contribute more to health spending through alternative financing and delivery systems, specifically health insurance. The main purpose of this review is to systematically review the benefits and issues of the implementation approach for health insurance in Saudi Arabia. Three electronic databases were used to conduct the systematic search for articles published in 2018 or after as this is a recent review of the last 5 years articles. Articles were considered if they matched the following criteria: Saudi articles concentrating on health insurance in Saudi Arabia, with a particular emphasis on issues, problems, barriers, and challenges related to insurance in Saudi Arabia. Of the many references identified in the initial search, 13 studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria. The included studies clearly highlighted, explained the current financial methods of the healthcare system in Saudi Arabia, and evaluated Cooperative Health Insurance’s potential contribution to the healthcare system’s success in achieving the Saudi Vision 2030 goals, as well as the benefits and disadvantages of health insurance. This review exemplifies the need for implementation of health insurance in Saudi Arabia to improve economic growth, and to improve efficiency and quality of care. Many of the issues were identified in this review could be addressed by a strong healthcare infrastructure. The Council of Cooperative Health Insurance and Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency should keep monitoring medical services and collaborating toward enhancing Saudi Arabia’s health insurance.