Compare: Institutional structure

Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage

The Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage systematically documents the reforms of its member countries and other countries that have expanded health coverage through demand-side financing. The case studies contained in these pages are brief, comparative and modular in nature, describing the key highlights and technical features of each program.


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Program Key Actors in Insurance Administration Organizational Structure Collections Responsibility Operations Responsibility Oversight Responsibility Institutional structures
: Taiwan: National Health Insurance
  • Central Government
  • District/Local Government
  • Decentralized to district/local level
  • Central Government
  • District/Local Government
  • Central Government
  • District/Local Government
  • Central Government

The organization of health administration in Taiwan is divided into two structures: The National level and the local level. The National Health Insurance (NHI) system is administered by the central government, which has the overall responsibility for the formulation of health care policies and the regulation of health care services throughout Taiwan.

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The organization of health administration in Taiwan is divided into two structures: The National level and the local level. The National Health Insurance (NHI) system is administered by the central government, which has the overall responsibility for the formulation of health care policies and the regulation of health care services throughout Taiwan. The Department of Health (DOH) has jurisdiction over the Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI), the NHI supervisory Committee, the NHI Dispute Mediation Committee, and the NHI Medical Expenditure Negotiation Committee, all of which plan and monitor tasks that relate to the NHI. BNHI acts as the primary executive of the NHI. BNHI contracts with health care facilities and is the primary organization responsible for administering the National Health Insurance system, collecting premiums from the insured and regulating health care services for the insured.

Under the executive branch, Taiwan has 6 regional divisions divided into 25 local health bureaus under city or county local governments. These local bureaus are responsible for daily operations of health management and directly handle underwriting operations, insurance premium collection, review and payment of medical claims, and management of NHI-contracted medical care institutions. The bureaus all have close relationships to local level health and aid in managing the contracted medical institutions through quality counseling, and management of emergency rescue services, mental health services, and human resources. In addition, each of the 25 county governments in Taiwan has a health liaison bureau, which is responsible for the operation of public health centers within their geographical region under the guidance of the health department.

While the NHI is governed by the central government, most management of NHI is decentralized. The BNHI is the primary overseer of NHI, acts to set the annual national budget, and implements most policy in a centralized, top-down fashion. The BNHI also acts as the primary intermediary between the insured and the providers. Oversight of the NHI is also provided by the NHI Supervisory Committee (NHISC), which provides a forum for social associations, employers and providers to communicate with one another; the NHI Disputes Mediation Committee (NHIDM), which mediates disputes between the insured and providers; the NHI Expenditure Negotiation Committee (NHIENC), which negotiates the payments for providers under the Global Budget Payment; and the NHI Task Force. The daily management of the NHI, however, is highly decentralized. The BNHI distributes responsibilities to the 6 regional divisions and local governments.

Korea, Rep.: National Health Insurance Program
  • Central Government
  • Centralized
  • Central Government
  • Central Government
  • Central Government

The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MoHW) supervises the overall matters relating to health insurance and health sector. MoHW is in charge of the centralized policy formation and implementation, regulating the health insurance system, and approving the annual plans and budgets set by the National Health Insurance Corporation (NHIC) and the Health Insurance Review Agency (HIRA), both of which are discrete non-profit organizations that are supervised and regulated by the MoHW.

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The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MoHW) supervises the overall matters relating to health insurance and health sector. MoHW is in charge of the centralized policy formation and implementation, regulating the health insurance system, and approving the annual plans and budgets set by the National Health Insurance Corporation (NHIC) and the Health Insurance Review Agency (HIRA), both of which are discrete non-profit organizations that are supervised and regulated by the MoHW.

The National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) is managed directly by the National Health Insurance Corporation (NHIC), the single purchaser in Korea. NHIC is in charge of managing the enrollment of insured people and their dependents, collecting contributions, and setting the medical fee schedule.

The Health Insurance Review Agency (HIRA) reviews medical fees and health care evaluation. The HIRA also receives and reimburses claims from health care providers. The HIRA committee consists of 10 full-time and 630 part-time medical specialists divided into a central committee and local committees. The committee reviews the appropriateness of medical care claims based on health benefits standards and fees that are determined by the MoHW.

National Health Insurance Program

Nigeria: National Health Insurance System
  • Central Government
  • Other
  • Centralized
  • Other
  • Central Government
  • Other
  • Central Government

The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is the body responsible for regulation of the system and the different health insurance schemes. The Governing Board of the National Health Insurance Scheme is the National Health Insurance Council (NHIC). NHIC works to regulate the scheme (including setting standards, determining contribution rates, providing technical support, etc), license HMOs and providers, train health care providers, and manage the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

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The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is the body responsible for regulation of the system and the different health insurance schemes. The Governing Board of the National Health Insurance Scheme is the National Health Insurance Council (NHIC). NHIC works to regulate the scheme (including setting standards, determining contribution rates, providing technical support, etc), license HMOs and providers, train health care providers, and manage the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

HMOS are licensed by the NHIS to facilitate the provision of healthcare benefits to contributors under the Formal Sector Social health Insurance Program; to interface between eligible contributors, including voluntary contributors and the healthcare providers, ensure member registration, public education about the schemes, collect premiums from members and employers, contract with providers, process claims, and pay claims directly to providers.

HMO Activities

The informal sector scheme under the NHIS is managed by a Board of Trustees composed of the Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and four others. A clerk is appointed to carry out clerical and accounting duties. The Board of Trustees has executive power and is responsible for collecting contributions from participants, paying providers for services rendered, and operating a bank account with an NHIS accredited Bank.

The Nigerian system is organized as a federation and divided into three tiers: federal, state, and local. The federal government sets overall policy direction and standards, implements national immunization programs, and oversees federally funded tertiary health facilities. The states undertake policy making and regulation as well as financial responsibility for the personnel, operating costs, and capital investment of the tertiary, secondary, and primary care facilities. The 774 local government associations (LGAs) are responsible for primary health care delivery, under the guidance and supervision of federal and state departments of primary health care. LGAs tend to exert the least influence in this system, and frequently suffer from insufficient funding.

Philippines: PhilHealth
  • Central Government
  • Centralized
  • Central Government
  • Central Government
  • Central Government

The scheme is entirely administered by PhilHealth, a government corporation attached to the Department of Health. PhilHealth collects premiums, accredits providers, sets the benefits packages and provider payment mechanisms, processes claims, and reimburses providers for their services.

PhilHealth is responsible for oversight and administration of public sector insurance schemes.

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The scheme is entirely administered by PhilHealth, a government corporation attached to the Department of Health. PhilHealth collects premiums, accredits providers, sets the benefits packages and provider payment mechanisms, processes claims, and reimburses providers for their services.

PhilHealth is responsible for oversight and administration of public sector insurance schemes. It has a governing board chaired by the Secretary of Health with representation from other government departments (ministries) and agencies, and the private sector including the OFW sector.

PhilHealth also features a governing board composed of 13 individuals, chaired by the Secretary of Health, with the president and CEO of Philhealth as vice-chariman. The president and CEO have a fixed term of 6 years.

Salaries and other operating expenses are derived from premium payments and the income of the funds under management. PhilHealth can use up to 12% of the previous year’s premium and 3% of the income of the fund it manages towards operating expenses.

For monitoring and evaluation, Congress has mandated the National Institutes of Health (based in the University of the Philippines) to conduct studies that will verify and validate the performance of PhilHealth.

India: Rajiv Aarogyasri
  • Centralized
  • State Government
  • State Government
  • Commercial insurers
  • State Government

Aarogyasri is managed by the Aarogyasri Healthcare Trust, a body that is responsible for overseeing the entire insurance program, including certain administrative functions such as setting benefits packages and pricing, managing contracts with insurer(s) and in-network providers, approving claims and monitoring of the scheme.

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Aarogyasri is managed by the Aarogyasri Healthcare Trust, a body that is responsible for overseeing the entire insurance program, including certain administrative functions such as setting benefits packages and pricing, managing contracts with insurer(s) and in-network providers, approving claims and monitoring of the scheme.

The administrative structure of Aarogyasri is comprised of four main organizations:

  • Aarogyasri Healthcare Trust: The Trust is responsible for oversight of the entire insurance program as well as some important administrative functions such as setting benefits and pricing, managing contracts with insurer(s) and in-network providers, approving claims, and monitoring.
  • Insurer: The insurer is selected based on a competitive bidding process to bear risk and manage all back-end insurance administration, including claims processing, reimbursements to providers, oversight of hospitals. The Insurer is also responsible for holding health camps in villages to screen, diagnose, treat, and make beneficiaries aware of any health problems they might have; health camps are also used to enroll eligible beneficiaries.
  • Network hospitals: Network hospitals provide care to Aarogyasri beneficiaries.
  • Aarogya Mithras: Aarogya Mithras are patient advocates and assist Aarogyasri beneficiaries to navigate through the system and ensure beneficiaries receive quality care. Aarogya Mithras are also responsible for community outreach.

The table below summarizes the roles and responsibilities of all of the organizations involved in operationalizing Aarogyasri:

Aarogyasri TrustInsurerNetwork HospitalsAarogya Mithras
Oversight of schemeX
Financing schemeX
Setting parameters (benefits package, empanelment criteria, etc.)XX
Hardware specifications (e.g, systems, card, etc.)XX
Contract management with InsurerX
Accreditation/Empanelment of providersXX
EnrollmentXXX
Financial management/planningX
Actuarial analysisXX
Setting rate schedules for services/reimbursement rates X
Claims processing and paymentXX
Outreach, Marketing to beneficiariesXXX
Service deliveryX
Developing clinical information system for monitoring/evalX X
Monitoring utilization and other patient informationXX
Customer serviceXXX
India: RSBY
  • Central Government
  • State Government
  • Commercial insurers
  • NGOs
  • Decentralized to state level
  • State Government
  • Commercial insurers
  • Commercial insurers
  • Central Government
  • State Government

Several stakeholders are involved in the oversight and execution of RSBY at both the national and state levels. A key actor in the administration of the scheme is the insurer. The insurer must cover the benefit package designed by the central MoLE through a cashless facility. Additionally, it acts as an intermediary between RSBY and local organizations in order to provide grassroots outreach and assist members in utilizing the services after enrollment.

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Several stakeholders are involved in the oversight and execution of RSBY at both the national and state levels. A key actor in the administration of the scheme is the insurer. The insurer must cover the benefit package designed by the central MoLE through a cashless facility. Additionally, it acts as an intermediary between RSBY and local organizations in order to provide grassroots outreach and assist members in utilizing the services after enrollment.

Once a state has agreed to implement RSBY, a nodal department is selected by the State. The nodal department designate sets up a nodal agency which is responsible for implementing RSBY. The nodal agency seeks bids from registered public or private insurance companies. The financial bid is essentially an annual premium per enrolled household.

Technically qualified insurer(s) with the lowest bid is/are selected as the state’s RSBY insurer. A state can seek bids from multiple insurers for various districts. Selected insurers are compensated on the basis of the number of SmartCards issued (i.e. households covered). Each contract is specified on the basis of an individual district in a state, with the insurer agreeing to set up an office in each district where it operates. While more than one insurer can operate in a particular state, only one insurer can operate in a single district at any given point in time.

The use of a cashless facility in turn requires the use of SmartCards which must be issued to all members. This requires that a sub-contract be arranged with a qualified Third Party Administrator/SmartCard provider. The insurer must also agree to engage intermediaries with local presence (e.g., NGOs) in order to provide grassroots outreach and assist members in utilizing the services after enrollment. The insurer must also build a list of empanelled hospitals that will participate in the cashless arrangement. These hospitals must meet certain basic minimum requirements (e.g., size and registration) and must agree to set up a special RSBY desk with SmartCard and fingerprint readers and train the hospital staff. The list should include public and private hospitals.

The insurer must also establish a separate Project Office for implementing the scheme and coordinating activities with the state nodal agency in the state capital. The insurer will have appropriate people in their own/TPA, state, and district offices to perform the following functions:

  • Operate a 24-hour toll free call center
  • Manage district kiosks for post issuance modifications to SmartCards
  • Management info system functions, including collecting, collating, and reporting data on a real time basis
  • Generating reports, in predefined format, at periodic intervals, as decided between insurer and state nodal agency
  • IT related functions which include running the local website/updating data regularly
  • Pre-authorization function for non-package surgical interventions
  • Claims settlement
  • Organizing Health camps
  • Publicity for enrollment and post-enrollment
  • Grievance and dispute resolution
  • Feedback functions

As of January 2010, eleven public and private insurance companies were engaged in insuring RSBY beneficiaries across 23 states.

Since in the initial phases of RSBY, the focus was on stabilizing processes and operations, insurer contracts were set for one year. Now that processes and basic operations have been ironed out and stabilized, the contract period has been extended to a maximum period of three years. However, even three year contracts are subject to annual renewal based on insurer performance, with annual performance goals defined by the government at the time of initial contract signing.

The table below summarizes the roles and responsibilities of all organizations involved in operationalizing RSBY at the state and national level:

Central GovtState Nodal AgencyInsurer/TPANGOs/Other PartnersProviders of Care
Oversight of schemeXX
Financing schemeXX
Setting parameters (benefits package, empanelment criteria, BPL criteria, etc.)XX
Hardware specifications (e.g, systems, SmartCard, etc.)X
Contract management with InsurerX
Accreditation/Empanelment of providers X
Collecting Registration FeesX
EnrollmentXXX
Financial management/planningXX
Actuarial analysisX
Setting rate schedules for services/reimbursement ratesXX
Claims processing and paymentX
Outreach, Marketing to beneficiariesXXX
Service deliveryX
Developing clinical information system for monitoring/evalXX
Monitoring state-level utilization and other patient informationXXX
Monitoring national RSBY informationX
Customer serviceX X X
TrainingXXX
Mexico: Seguro Popular
  • Central Government
  • State Government
  • Decentralized to state level
  • State Government
  • State Government
  • Central Government

Mexico’s health system is guided by the federal government but operations are decentralized to the state level. Family premiums as well as federal transfers are collected at the state level. The states are also responsible for the provision of health services. Health system oversight is carried out at the national level by the MOH.

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Mexico’s health system is guided by the federal government but operations are decentralized to the state level. Family premiums as well as federal transfers are collected at the state level. The states are also responsible for the provision of health services. Health system oversight is carried out at the national level by the MOH.

The function of the Social Protection in Health Regimes (REPSS) at the state level is to integrate and coordinate the network of health care providers in order to guarantee that SP enrollees have access to the services offered under the benefits package. The mechanisms used to control the network of providers are subscription agreements and contracts with public, private, and civil society institutions.

The General Health Committee, which is chaired by the Health Minister, includes the leaders of all the public health institutions in Mexico as well as experts in the field, non-governmental organizations, professional associations and the private sector. This Committee is responsible for defining the diseases, treatments, and medications that are covered under the FPGC.

  Organization of the System of Social Protection in Health

Thailand: Universal Coverage Scheme
  • Central Government
  • Centralized
  • Central Government
  • Central Government
  • Central Government

UCS is managed and overseen by the National Health Security Office (NHSO), an autonomous agency that was established by the National Health Security Act of 2002. The scheme also has a National Health Security Board within the NHSO, chaired by the Minister of Public Health. Copayments, benefits package, standards guidelines, quality standards, contract processes, and payment mechanisms are all decided by Board.

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UCS is managed and overseen by the National Health Security Office (NHSO), an autonomous agency that was established by the National Health Security Act of 2002. The scheme also has a National Health Security Board within the NHSO, chaired by the Minister of Public Health. Copayments, benefits package, standards guidelines, quality standards, contract processes, and payment mechanisms are all decided by Board. Furthermore, the NHSO has regional and provincial branch offices to handle beneficiary questions and requests.

Governance in the Thai public health insurance system is fragmented. The National Health Security Office manages and oversees the UCS, while the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Labor oversee the other public insurance schemes as well as the private insurance market. The figure below presents a snapshot of the governance structure of Thai public insurance.

Thailand, the Health Insurance Model, 2007

While there are no standardized coding and reporting systems among Thai health care facilities and among insurers, the various public health insurance schemes have joined an initiative to integrate utilization databases among the schemes to develop statistical analysis of utilization activity, planning and monitoring processes.

The National Health Security Board has autonomy by law to steer overall management of the scheme. Co-payments, benefits package, standard guidelines, quality standards, contract processes, and payment mechanisms are decided by Board. There is a Standard Board which is responsible to prepare quality standards and oversee beneficiary complaints and grievances.

The UCS has its own IT infrastructure. While the clinical information system of the UCS is similar to other schemes, it is not identical. The UCS has also developed specific applications for health facilities to collect data for reimbursement in specific disease management programs (e.g. leukemia, diabetic mellitus, HIV/AIDS, etc.).

The UCS also has dedicated customer service facilities including a dedicated call centre. Branch offices and the call centre are available to beneficiaries to answer questions and request. Complaints and grievances are reviewed at branch offices and at the central office. Finally, outstanding grievances are decided in a subcommittee of the Standard Board.

The NHSO has regional branches offices and province branch offices to handle beneficiary questions and requests.