Identifying key factors underlying the improved ability of the Social Security Institution of Turkey in providing universal health insurance

The Republic of Turkey has recently implemented a program to deliver universal health insurance covering  basic healthcare services to its citizens while seeking to reduce accompanying  financial hardships. The system  covers all Turkish citizens with mandatory health insurance, while  also providing  social security services and payments, referred as ‘social insurances,’ to qualifying underprivileged citizens. Moreover, the system encompasses retirement distributions to pensioners.

We compared the newly created program  with the previous system across a series of structural and functional parameters. We thus analyzed revenues from premium collections and other sources of monies, as well as health-related expenditures of the Social Security Institution and the statistical and economic data from the Turkish Statistical Institute, the Ministry of Health, and the under secretariat of Treasury. The analyses allowed for a deeper understanding of  the Institution’s financial and operational performance under the newly created structure. We subsequently identified and categorized key strengths and weaknesses of the new structure from a financial perspective.  We also compared our analyses with  reports provided in the report:   ‘WHO successful health system reforms’ to help formulate enhancements to the revised  structure. The results identify new and ongoing issues facing the Turkish Universal Health Insurance system, and describe potential changes for maintaining an effective and sustainable organization.