Proposal Research Title (METH1):
Brief introduction – leading to the gap of the study:
Department of Health (DOH) is the health sector regulator in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and is responsible for designing and implementing the health system financing model. In 2005, DOH introduced a Universal Healthcare System (UHC) aimed at equitably promoting the population’s health while providing financial protection. DOH funded several government-sponsored health insurance plans to ensure equitable coverage for the population. The cost of such programs has been growing at a rate faster than the rate of the growth of the GDP. This mismatch raises questions about the sustainability of such programs.
Research Questions:
Are the funding arrangements promote sustainability?
Are the pooling arrangements promote sustainability?
Are the current strategic purchasing arrangements promote sustainability?
Are the current benefits packages support sustainability?
Is the current health system financing model sustainable?
Research Objectives: Review and propose new & innovative ways to raise funds in a sustainable manner
Review and propose new pooling arrangements to ensure sustainability
Review and propose strategic purchasing arrangements promoting sustainability
Review and propose benefits packages that promote sustainability
Review the current health financing system and propose a sustainable model for the system
Significant of the Research:
As a growing proportion of GDP is committed to healthcare financing at the expense of other government sectors. This disparity cannot be sustained in the long run. The government will eventually be forced to initiate short term cost-cutting measures, among them decreasing benefits and cutting public health spending. As a result, numerous socioeconomic and health security consequences are expected, among them but not limited to:
Public health preparedness; safety net hospitals that handle cases involving infectious diseases, emergency preparedness, and ensuring a constant supply of blood and its products
Quality of care and population satisfaction
Investments in healthcare sector
Access to healthcare
Continuity of current healthcare providers
Budget constraints
Relevant Theory(ies) for this study: The framework of health system financing functions developed by Josep Kutzin
Healthcare cost-containment strategies analytical framework developed by Mossialos and Le Grand
Theory of Change Model
Constructs for the study and Developing Hypotheses: Funding
Pooling of funds
Strategic purchasing
Benefits
Hypothesis:
H1: there is a relationship between funding arrangements and the sustainability of funding
H2: there is a relationship between pooling arrangements and sustainability
H3: there is a relationship between Strategic purchasing arrangements and sustainability
H4: there is an effect of benefit design on cost and sustainability
H5: introduce new health system financing model will support sustainability
Research Framework: The framework of health system financing functions developed by Josep Kutzin
