Does Universal Health Insurance Act as a Driver of Increased Life Expectancy? Evidence from Selected Emerging Economies

Authors

  • Sabina Ampon-Wireko Jiangsu University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6456-3660
  • Zhou Lu Lin Jiangsu University
  • Henry Asante Antwi Jiangsu University
  • Ebenezer Wireko Brobbey
  • Arielle Doris Kachie Tetgoum Jiangsu University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15566/cjgh.v7i2.347

Keywords:

universal health insurance, life expectancy, emerging countries, fully modified least squares

Abstract

Background: The world currently has experienced an unimaginable increase in life expectancy rate (LER).  There are many factors that influence LER, including faith and forgiveness.  However, an ongoing argument among scholars is whether health insurance is partly ascribed to the historical forces that drive the surge in LER among emerging countries.  The study seeks to investigate the long-run effect of universal health insurance on life expectancy rate among 15 selected emerging countries spanning from 2000 to 2015.

Methods: Using the panel unit root, panel cointegration, panel fully modified least squares (FMOLS), and employing the Dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS) as a robust check, the study analyzed connections between the study variables.

Results: The outcome of the results showed that universal health insurance, physician ratio, healthcare expenditure, and educational factors are positive contributors to increase life expectancy, while economic growth remained negatively significant in the selected emerging economies.

Conclusion: This study showed that improved education, increased physician ratio, increasing health expenditures, and universal insurance coverage were correlated with increased life expectancy in emerging economies.  In order to promote healthy lives of its citizens, a move toward universal health insurance coverage is suggested since it increase the life expectancy rate among emerging nations

Author Biographies

Sabina Ampon-Wireko, Jiangsu University

She is currently pursuing PHD in Management Science with research interest in Health Care expenditure, health outcome and economic growth. She has masters in health education and a health tutor at Community Health Nurses Training School-Esiama, Ghana

Zhou Lu Lin, Jiangsu University

Professor of Public Management, Dean of School of Management (Jiangsu University) and Head of Governing Board of Social Health Insurance in Jiangsu Province (PRC). He has 30 years of teaching and research experience and published articles in the field of Social Policy, Public Management and Healthcare Policy Management.

Henry Asante Antwi, Jiangsu University

Holds PhD in Management Science with research interest in International, Management, Public and Healthcare Management. He is currently a post-doctoral fellow of the Institute of Health Insurance and Social Medicine of the Jiangsu University. He has 10 years teaching and research experience in Management Science, Public Policy Management and Healthcare Management.

Ebenezer Wireko Brobbey

Holds a Master’s degree at the University of Cape Coast and currently a tutor at Manso-Amenfi Senior Secondary School in Ghana. He has 5 years research experience in health promotion.

Arielle Doris Kachie Tetgoum, Jiangsu University

A PhD candidate at the Jiangsu University. Her research interest is towards the effects of stress on health Professionals in China.

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Published

2020-06-30

How to Cite

Ampon-Wireko, S., Lu Lin, Z., Asante Antwi, H. ., Wireko Brobbey, . E., & Kachie Tetgoum, A. D. . (2020). Does Universal Health Insurance Act as a Driver of Increased Life Expectancy? Evidence from Selected Emerging Economies. Christian Journal for Global Health, 7(2), 52–66. https://doi.org/10.15566/cjgh.v7i2.347