Extending Health Insurance: Effects of the National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana

There is considerable interest in exploring the potential of health insurance to increase the access to, \nand the affordability of, health care in Africa. We focus on the recent experience of Ghana, where a \nNational Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) became law in 2003 and fully implemented from late 2005. \nEven though there is some evidence of large coverage levels, the effect of the NHIS on heal…