Financing health care in Tunisia. Current state of health care expenditure and socialization prospects, on the road to Universal Health Coverage

Abstract

Context: As part of its strategy of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), Tunisia has calculated, after its revolution, its Health Accounts (HA), in a standardized and interdepartmental way.
Objectives: Describe the current structure of care financing in Tunisia, through the HA reports, from 2012 to 2014, and assess its compliance with the principles of socialization of health insurance.
Methods: Crude data on health care expenditures were collected by a multi-departmental group that is responsible for calculating health accounts, using a methodology developed by WHO. On the basis of these data, a dozen of indicators that serve to monitor the financing of care, were determined, especially the proportion of public care expenditure (state and insurance), the proportion of direct payments of households in total care expenditure. and the share of expenses of the National Diseases Insurance Fund (CNAM) in the private sector.
Results: During the 2012-2014 trienniums, the total health expenditure represented 7% of GDP. Public expenditure on health care did not exceed 57% of the total health expenditure, which is 4% of GDP. Households paid directly, from their pockets, 39% of current care expenditures. About half of the expenses of the CNAM, was released for the reimbursement of consultations, explorations and hospitalizations in private clinics and medical needs (drugs and medical material) in private pharmacies.
Conclusion: The financing of the post-revolution care system in Tunisia was characterized by a dangerous triad for its survival, performance and equity: excessive spending compared to the country's growth, a very high contribution of households exceeding the cutoff of "catastrophic" spending, and a marked shift in the social policy of the CNAM, in favor of the private sector. This profile, proof of low socialization of healthcare financing, would be a limiting factor in the implementation of the CSU strategy in Tunisia.