Improving Access to Quality Healthcare: A Political Economy Analysis of the Prospects for Municipal Health Insurance Schemes in Guatemala

Guatemala’s health system is characterized by limited financial protection for health services and high out-of-pocket expenditure. The introduction of municipal health insurance schemes represents one possibility for ensuring designated financing for health and guaranteeing Guatemalans access to a basic package of health services. Building on an attempt by Villa Nueva, the country’s largest municipality, to implement its own insurance scheme in 2015, this policy brief examines the political obstacles and opportunities for municipal health insurance in Guatemala. By better understanding the political, economic, and legal framework surrounding municipal insurance, policymakers and practitioners will be better able to determine if, when, and how the pursuit of such schemes can be successful. This topic sits at the intersection of reform efforts in the country to decentralize the planning, financing, and provision of social services and to expand financial protection, and formal insurance coverage, for health.

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