A0249
Title: The impact of health insurance reforms on childrens educational attainment: An evidence from Vietnam
Authors: Khiem Phuong Huu - Feng Chia University (Vietnam) [presenting]
Yu-Chen Kuo - (Taiwan)
Abstract: Research has shown that parental health shocks and child health status each exert measurable effects on child educational attainment, particularly in low-middle income countries. In 2005, the Vietnamese government enacted a new health insurance policy increasing the proportion of population covered by health insurance from 22\% of total population ~43\%. Using a quasi-experimental setup and difference-in-differences (DID) approach, the effects of health insurance reforms on child educational outcome are examined. Because households in the state sector were almost unaffected before and after the reform, children in that group served as a natural control group, children growing up in non-state employed households formed a treatment group. Educational outcomes were measured for three levels of general education: primary, secondary and high school. Results showed that the NHI reform improved educational outcomes for children in high school, both in terms of enrolment and school completion likelihood. Furthermore, it was shown that children from minority groups, females, those in rural areas, and those from poorer families were less likely to derive the same educational outcomes compared to their counterparts. These findings are the first of their kind using the VHLSS survey data and would be of value to policy makers in countries that plan to adopt a similar health policy.
