Does the National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana reduce household cost of treating malaria in the Kassena-Nankana districts?

Introduction: The Government of Ghana introduced the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in 2003 to replace out-of-pocket (OOP) payment for health services with the inherent aim of reducing the direct cost of treating illness to households.

Objective: To assess the effects of the NHIS in reducing cost of treating malaria to households in the Kassena-Nankana districts of northern Ghana.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey between October 2009 and October 2011 in the Kassena-Nankana districts.