Does Health Insurance Eligibility Improve Child Health: Evidence From the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Nigeria

Favorable child health outcomes are important for sustainable growth and development, especially for developing economies. However, Nigeria has some of the worst health indicators. The problem seems to be inadequate access to affordable healthcare, especially for children. To improve policies aimed at improving access to affordable healthcare for children in Nigeria through health insurance, it is important to measure the extent to which health insurance affects child health. This study examines the effects of health insurance on child health and healthcare utilization in Nigeria using the implementation and expansion of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to introduce the exogenous variation in health insurance eligibility, a natural experiment that fits a difference-in-difference model. The findings suggest that health insurance increases birth weight. It also increases the probability that children receive polio and diphtheria vaccines. The findings suggest that the NHIS in Nigeria is effective in improving the health outcomes of children. Policies strengthening the take-up of the NHIS should be encouraged across all sectors and socio-economic groups in the economy.