How Free Is Free Health Care? An Assessment of Universal Health Coverage Among Jamaicans with Sickle Cell Disease.

In an effort to transition toward universal health coverage (UHC), Jamaica abolished user fees at all public health facilities in 2008. We aimed to determine the extent of out-of-pocket payments (OPPs) and the other cost barriers to UHC among patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Patients presenting to the Sickle Cell Unit in Kingston, Jamaica, for routine care between October 2019 and August 2020 were consecutively recruited and interviewed about their latest hospitalization within the previous 4 weeks.