Health Insurance

I haven’t been able to keep up with U.S. national news, so I don’t know where the debate on healthcare stands right now. (Feel free to send me news articles to keep me updated though! hint, hint). What I have been keeping up with, however, is the rapid pace at which the Health System in Rwanda improves.

My sector health center and government are currently campaigning to get everyone health insurance. In Rwanda, you pay 1000 RWF (around $1.50, about the same price as a liter of vegetable oil) and receive health insurance for a full year. Each time you visit the health center you present your card and pay 200 RWF (30¢, about the price of a kilo of onions) for whatever you need: consultation, lab tests, medications, etc. If you don’t have health insurance, just like in the U.S, things get pretty expensive.

Health Center Staff

I cannot imagine this system being feasible without the enormous donations Rwanda receives in foreign aid. Still, the government’s management of the health system is impressive and should serve as a model for other developing and developed countries.   

This month I’ve seen the health center and local government staff mobilize in an incredibly effective manner. People were posted on the road Friday (market day) ready to sell insurance. After Saturday’s umuganda every village leader rounded up her community to discuss the benefits of health insurance. Monday, most of the health center administrative staff went out to visit the villages furthest away from the center, talking to more people about the benefits of health insurance. 

I am fortunate enough to never have been in a position where I have had to make a choice between buying health insurance and buying food or shelter—but I am currently surrounded by those who do, and they mostly chose health insurance. It’s certainly an interesting comparison to attitudes and debates in the United States!