Ageing in Ghana: does social health insurance meet health needs of elderly?

Populations age globally. This is also the case in low and middle-income countries. In order to meet the challenges of rising chronic care needs for people suffering from non communicable diseases such as heart diseases, stroke, diabetes, visual impairment and dementia, the WHO urges to take action and get the right infrastructure in place. With the increasing ageing in Ghana there is an urgent need to assess determinants of demand for social health insurance for elderly (defined by WHO those 60 years of age and above) in order to assist policy makers and healthcare managers to anticipate timely and address the health protection needs of this growing group. Despite the achievements of Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme to enroll near to 70% of the population, recent data show that the actual active enrolment-rate is close to 34% (NHIA Annual Report 2011). With an exemption policy in place for the aged above 70 years of age, Ghana Government foresees protection for a certain group of elderly. This study provides empirical evidence of health seeking behavior and enrolment in social health insurance of 928 elderly above 50. It is expected to offer recommendations on effective policy interventions specifically targeting the aged populations.