Abstract
This paper explores Kosovo’s attempts to establish healthcare insurance system, which has a long history but still remain unrealized today. In 2014, Kosovo has passed the Law on Health Insurance, with the aim to finance universal health coverage via payroll contributions based on the model of shared equally by employers and employees. The implementation has been repeatedly delayed by unmet preconditions such as an electronic insurance information system; shifting budget priorities and political and administrative challenges. There are different critical view about challenges for having national health insurance such as lack of accountability and enforcement gaps and stakeholder disputes as further obstacles. Actually, Kosovo is the only Western Balkan country that doesn’t have a functional mandatory insurance system. This paper will be based on the policy analysis and case study synthesizes legislative review and stakeholder perspectives to show how weal financing arrangements and institutional capacity have hampered progress toward universal health coverage. The paper explains how governance and capacity constraints in post-conflict states can derail universal health coverage reforms. In broader terms, Kosovo’s experience exemplifies how fragile governance and limited capacity in developing post-conflict societies can stall progress toward universal health coverage.
Presenters
Besnik FetahuProfessor, Faculty of Social Science, IBCM Public International Business College Mitrovica, Kosovo
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Public Health Policies and Practices
KEYWORDS
HEALTH POLICY, UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE, POST CONFLICT GOVERNANCE, SOCIAL PROTECTION
