NCT07313631

Impact Evaluation of Access to Free Low-Cost Health Insurance in Nigeria's Taraba State

Women's Insurance for State Health - An Impact Evaluation of Health Insurance Provided Under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund in Taraba State, Nigeria

• Status: Active Not Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 4,000 (actual)
• Sponsor: World Bank · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The objective of this study is to examine the impact of a free health insurance offer on healthcare use, spending, self-reported health, and economic participation of women in Taraba state of Nigeria.

Detailed description

This study aims to evaluate a health-insurance intervention implemented under the World Bank-funded Nigeria for Women Project (NFWP) in Taraba State. Women in Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) received an offer for a free, 12-month policy under the Taraba State Health Insurance Agency's Basic Minimum Package of Health Services (BMPHS), which covers essential primary and secondary care, including consultations, preventive services, maternal and child health, mental health, emergency care, and laboratory services, normally priced at ₦12,000 annually. We are using a randomized controlled trial design in Bali Local Government Area (LGA). Using administrative data on WAG enrollment, we randomly assigned 1,000 WAGs (stratified by ward and mean participant age) to either treatment (n=500) or control (n=500). Within each WAG, four women were randomly selected to enroll in the study, yielding 4,000 participants (2,000 insured; 2,000 controls). The study focuses on outcomes related to healthcare utilization, health status, out-of-pocket expenditures, and women's economic participation. The findings are expected to inform policy on expanding health insurance coverage as a strategy to improve women's health and promote their economic empowerment.

Conditions

• Health Behavior
• Economic Problems
• Health Status
• Healthcare Utilization

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	No-Cost Health Insurance	Provision of a free, 12-month insurance policy from the Taraba State Health Insurance Agency that covers the Basic Minimum Package of Health Services (BMPHS), including outpatient and inpatient consultations, preventive and reproductive health services, maternal and child health care, mental health care, emergency services, and laboratory testing.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-10-01
• Primary completion: 2027-08-30
• Completion: 2027-12-30
• First posted: 2026-01-02
• Last updated: 2026-01-02

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Nigeria