Knowledge, Perception, and Willingness to Enrol in a Health Insurance Scheme: A Survey Among Uninsured Persons in Southern Nigeria

Background: Out-of-pocket payments for healthcare services hinders the attainment of universal health coverage. Objectives: To assess the current level of knowledge, perception, and willingness to enrol in a health insurance scheme among uninsured persons in Nigeria. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among residents of Uyo, a city in southern Nigeria, who had not enrolled in any health insurance scheme Results: About 14.3% (n = 72) of the study participants visited healthcare facilities at least once a week to address medical conditions for either themselves or their dependents. Although 335 (66.5%) of our respondents had heard of health insurance schemes, only 92 (18.3%) claimed to know how they work. Moreover, about 42.3% (n = 213) of our respondent perceived health insurance schemes as being expensive, while 102 (20.2%) considered it a waste of resources. Only 25.4% (n = 128) of the study participants were willing to subscribe to a health insurance scheme. Conclusion: Knowledge of the concept of health insurance as well as awareness of the existence of affordable insurance plans is poor in a significant proportion of the population studied. Many respondents had a poor perception regarding health insurance schemes with the majority unwilling to enrol in one.