MR Microinsurance_2012_03_29.indd - International Labour ...

Third-party payment mechanisms in health microinsurance
Additionally, HMI schemes may be willing to engage a TPA to manage their
TPP mechanism and maintain an adequate healthcare provider network, especially
when scaling up and expanding geographically. In most developing countries,
affordable TPA services tailored for the poor that work well may be difficult
to find, though this is changing with the development of internet-based systems,
such as the use of mobile phones for data transfer. A more in-depth review of the
availability and pros and cons of TPAs merits further consideration.
As a scheme matures and reaches some degree of volume and complexity,
investment in information technology and improved collection and analysis of
data becomes increasingly necessary, not only to manage moral hazard but also to
assess quality of care and to identify ways to improve the product. Deployment
of information technology with increased analysis of the scheme’s performance
should be part of the scheme’s business plan to achieve scale and viability.
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