Publicly subsidized health insurance: evidence of positive results

There has been a long debate on whether publicly subsidized health insurances for poor populations, which have been implemented in several countries recently, have an effect on health outcomes and out of pocket spending. In this dabate the cases of Medicaid and Seguro Popular have been analyzed with mixed and inconclusive results. Grant Miller, Diana Pinto, and Marcos Vera-Hernández, in an excellent analysis, study the case of Colombia´s “Régimen Subsidiado”. The authors find that the program has indeed protected families against financial risk, increased the use of key preventive services, and improved health outcomes -those linked to preventive services. The authors note that the new more efficient supply-side incentives, a key innovation of the Régimen, have encouraged higher quality and lowered medical care cost, and thus play a critical role in the success of the program. The study won the first prize of the CISS´s Inter-American Award for Research on Social Security 2010.