Resource Type: Report
Authors:  Reshma Naik, Lindsay Morgan, Jenna Wright
Published: 1/15/2015

Resource Description:

A new policy brief written by HFG and the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) finds that “Well-designed insurance programs offer a way to improve the quality and equitable provision of family planning services.” The Role of Health Insurance in Family Planning explores how insurance programs “can be designed to increase demand for and uptake of family planning services, as well as to improve their quality and equitable provision.”

Family planning is critical for advancing reproductive, maternal, and child health. Bridging unmet need for family planning through well-designed insurance benefits packages offers a promising way to reduce both maternal and child deaths.

The brief provides evidence that the synergies between family planning inclusion in benefits packages and well-designed insurance programs can improve the quality, reach, and equity of family planning services. The brief incorporates examples from Ghana and Rwanda to show a positive relationship between increased use of family planning and the inclusion of family planning in health insurance packages.