Who Pays for Health Care in Asia?

Abstract

This paper describes the structure and the distribution of health care financing in 13 territories that account for 55% of the Asian population. Survey data on household payments are combined with Health Accounts data on aggregate expenditures by source to estimate distributions of total health financing. In all territories, high-income households contribute more than low-income households to the financing of health care. In general, the better off contribute more as a proportion of ability to pay in low and lower-middle income territories. The disproportionality is in the opposite direction in three high/middle income territories operating. [EQUITAP Project: Working Paper 1] [http://www.equitap.org/publications/wps/EquitapWP1.pdf]health care financing, progressivity, equity, Asia