
Microinsurance
Updated by olivier Louis dit Guérin , valérie schmitt on 10.06.2015
A micro-insurance scheme is a contributory scheme that uses (among others) the mechanism of insurance. It is designed to meet the priority social protection needs of people excluded from formal social security schemes, in particular informal economy workers and their families. Membership is not compulsory and members pay, at least partially, the necessary contributions in order to cover the benefits. Microinsurance schemes can be run by mutual benefit organizations, NGOs, micro-finance institutions, or commercial insurers. In some cases all the functions are managed by one organization; in other cases, they are shared by two or more organizations, for example in partner-agent agreements. These units usually operate at the local level and may be based on area of residence, on occupation, on ethnic affiliation or on gender. Typically these groups are already organized, for example to provide micro-credit facilities: microinsurance is often therefore an extension of their activities. They may also obtain subsidies from the public authorities, from international aid agencies (in particular seed capital), and in certain cases from state-owned insurance companies. Participation by members (for example defining priority needs, setting the insurance premiums, managing and controlling the scheme, etc.) may defer according to the scheme’s structure. Microinsurance may cover various risks; the most frequent microinsurance products are: life microinsurance (and retirement savings plans), health microinsurance (hospitalisation, primary health care, maternity, etc.), disability microinsurance, property microinsurance (assets, livestock, housing) and crop microinsurance (uncontrollable adverse events). |
Many microinsurance schemes have been launched only in recent decades, and are thus still in the experimental stage. The countries in which they operate include Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Philippines, Senegal, the United Republic of Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia and several countries in Latin America. An interesting example is the scheme developed by the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in India, which ensures over 32,000 women working in informal economies. Some advantages of microinsurance schemes relate to the capacity of microinsurance organizations to mobilize additional resources and create a viable demand for services, and to achieve a better targeting of public subsidies to low-income groups. However, microinsurance schemes are not designed to become the main pillar of a country’s social security system and many challenges still have to be faced. Some are external constraints and delivery barriers, some are deficiencies of existing products, some are associated to people's perception of insurance in general, and finally others are linked to insurance regulations or their absence. It is of the utmost importance to establish the conditions under which microinsurance organizations can organize themselves better and how their activities can be replicated on a wider scale.♦ |
GIMI'S READING KIT
GIMI'S READING KIT in brief
In this section you will find recommended readings organized by theme, including articles, reports, links, guides, studies, etc. The resources were gathered during the project Global Information on Microinsurance (GIMI), to support practitioners in the design, implementation and management of micro-insurance schemes.
HOW COULD SOCIAL MARKETING BE APPLIED TO MICROINSURANCE?
Resources in English:
- Technical Assistance for the Promotion of Microinsurance, The Experience of Opportunity International, R. Leftley, 2005: valuable lessons for the promotion of microinsurance
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Promoting health micro-insurance schemes to local communities, ILO-STEP, SRO for South-East Asia and the Pacific, 2004: Presents views and experiences shared among officials of different micro insurance schemes during a workshop held in Manila.
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Focus Group Discussion Guidelines: Identifying the Social Protection Priority Needs of Cooperative Members, ILO SRO for South Asia, ILO-STEP, CHSSS, Plan, 2006: guidelines extracted from: ’Building Up Tools: Examples of Baseline Survey Tools.’ Technical Paper No. 7.1.
- Members making a difference, ICMIF, 2007: short case studies on how members of the International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF) are successfully extending the outreach of insurance to the low-income population
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Sample Household Survey Questionnaire: Setting up a health insurance scheme in Jharkand, ILO SRO for South Asia, ILO-STEP, CHSSS, Plan International, 2006: survey was conducted by the Ministry of Health, Family Welfare, Medical Education and Research, to better understand the health problems faced by families in the state of Jharkhand.
FEASIBILITY OF MICROINSURANCE SCHEMES
Resources in English:
- Focus on Microinsurance: Mitigating risks for the poor, Intellcap, 2007
- Health Micro-Insurance Schemes. Feasibility Study Guide. Volume 1: Procedure
ILO-STEP, 2005 - Health Micro-Insurance Schemes. Feasibility Study Guide. Volume 2: Tools
ILO-STEP, 2005 - Health Micro-Insurance Schemes: Feasibility Study Guide - 1 & 2
ILO-STEP, 2005 -
V. Schmitt-Diabaté, O. Louis dit Guérin, A. Cissé, 2006
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Is a social security floor affordable?
ILO Social Security Department, 2008
Resources in French:
- Guide pour l'étude de faisabilité de systèmes de micro-assurance santé. Tomes 1 et 2, ILO-STEP, 2005
- Etude de faisabilité d'une mutuelle de santé dans l'aire de santé de Befang, Integrated Development Foundation (IDF), 2006
- Etude de faisabilité de systèmes de protection sociale en santé (SPSC) au Cap Vert, BIT-STEP 2005
- Etude de faisabilité de systèmes de protection sociale en santé (SPSC) au Cap Vert, BIT-STEP 2006
- Etude genre dans la conception et la mise en place d'un régime de protection sociale agro-sylvo-pastorale au Sénégal
BIT-STEP Afrique, F.C. N'Diaye, 2007 - Etude IMT Anvers sur la faisabilité de la mise en oeuvre de mutuelles de santé en RDC
O. LOUIS DIT GUERIN, 2004 - Etude pour la mise en place d'un système de protection maladie dans le secteur des transports routiers, BIT-STEP, A. Boutbien ,2005
- Faisabilité de la mise en oeuvre de Mutuelles de Santé en République Démocratique du Congo, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Coopération Technique Belge, Institut de Médecine Tropicale, Anvers, Belgique, 2004
- Identification et faisabilité en micro-assurance santé: démarche et outils
Salze, C.; Poursat, C.; Duffau, A., 2008 - India: Yeshasvini Co-operative Farmers Health Scheme (Karnataka)
ILO SRO for South Asia, 2007 - Kit du formateur pour la conduite d'études de faisabilité
BIT-STEP, 2006 - Pertinence des SPSC en santé et efficience de la micro-assurance santé
BIT-STEP, 2005 - Rapport de l'étude de faisabilité des systèmes de protection sociale à base communautaire (SPSC)
BIT-STEP, 2006
MANAGEMENT OF MICROINSURANCE SCHEMES
Resources in English:
- Information and communications technology (ICT) social security project management
AISS; IBM, 2004 -
Setting-up a health micro-insurance scheme. Relevancy, challenges and process. (DRAFT), ILO-STEP
Resources in French:
- Logiciel Mas Gestion version 1.3
BIT-STEP Afrique, 2006 - Principes et techniques de gestion des mutuelles de santé
BIT-STEP Bénin, 2006 -
Formation de formateurs et promoteurs en gestion administrative et financière des systèmes de micro assurance santé en AfriqueAGFUND; ITCILO; BIT-STEP, 2003
MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF MICROINSURANCE SCHEMES
Resources in English:
- Contribution of Mutual Health Organisations to Financing, Delivery and Access to Health Care
C. Atim, BIT/STEP, BIT/ACOPAM, USAID/PHR, GTZ, ANMC, WSM, 199 - Manual for auditing the administration and functioning of a CBHI scheme
Ministry of Health Lao PDR, WHO, 2004 - PREM PLAN People's Rural Health Scheme (Orissa)
ILO SRO for South Asia, ILO-STEP, CHSSS, Plan International, 2006
Resources in French:
- Faisabilité et suivi-évaluation
BIT-STEP, 2006 - Suivi de la Micro Assurance Santé AssEF 2003-2004
BIT-STEP Benin, 2004 - Logiciel Mas Pilote version 1.0
BIT-STEP Afrique, 2006
LEGAL BASE OF MICROINSURANCE SCHEMES
Resources in English:
- Dossier on Legislation in India
ILO-STEP, 2006 - Regulations for the nationwide implementation of community based health insurance in Laos
Ministry of Health Laos, WHO, 2005 - C102 Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952
OIT, 1952 - Social Health Insurance in Cambodia - 2003-2007 Master plan
Ministry of Health Cambodia, World Health Organization, 2003
Resources in French:
- Action normative et Travail décent. Perspectives en matière de sécurité sociale (Rapport de synthèse)
A. Supiot (rapporteur); BIT, 2005 - Etude sur l'environnement juridique des mutuelles de santé en République Démocratique du Congo
BIT-STEP, LIMUCO, 2005 - Union Economique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine
UEMOA, -
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Main Resources
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The social protection perspective on microinsurance ILO, Munich Re Foundation, CGAP Working Group on Microinsurance, 2007
The Landscape of Microinsurance in the World's 100 Poorest Countries |