Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI)

Programs

Microcare

last updated Feb 14, 2012

Overview

Legal Status: 
Private (for-profit)
Year Launched: 
2000
Stage: 
No longer active

Funding

Primary Source of Funding: 
Out-of-pocket payments
Additional Source(s) of Funding: 
Donor
Funders: 
Australian Regional Bureau for Development Cooperation, Cordaid, DFID, European Commission, The McKnight Foundation

Technology

Technology Used: 
Computer › Apps/Software, Phones, Smart-card, Unique ID (biometric/barcode scanner, etc.)
Technology Purpose: 
Improving Data Management › Data Organization/Analysis, Streamlining Financial Transactions

Scale

Number of Clients Served: 
7,600 formal and 29,000 informal sector clients
Summary: 

Microcare was created out of the community-based health financing initiative in Uganda and had grown into the largest provider of group health insurance in the country, servicing workers in both the formal and informal sectors and operating in both urban and rural areas.

Key program components: 

For a modest annual premium Microcare contracts with selected healthcare providers (both public and private) to provide quality medical treatment. A group (for example, burial societies, microfinance institutions, vendors association) must have at least 25 members to qualify. Microcare’s insured base is composed of 70% formal sector workers and 30% informal sector workers. Microcare has grown 300% a year since 2004.

Key program components include:

  • Custom product design. Microcare negotiates every insurance plan with the customer community to ensure that community members have agreed on the services they want and the premium they are prepared to pay.

  • Product tangibility. Microcare addresses low renewal rates by providing preventive health services to community members, so that they receive a tangible product in exchange for their contributions. These products specifically target malaria, HIV/AIDS, waterborne diseases, and maternal and child health.

  • Sophisticated information technology platform. Microcare has efficient measures to reduce fraud, such as fingerprints with electronic recognition, allowing it to keep annual fees per person at $90–$250 for formal sector groups, $10 for rural informal sector groups, and $25–$35 for urban informal sector groups. In addition, Microcare has a high-capacity information technology system to support its operations: photosmart ID cards with biometrics capabilities, a robust Oracle database, data connectivity through VSAT and GPRS (GSM), and real-time claims processing through a unique networked hospital check-in desk system.

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