The Role of HTA for Essential Health Benefit Package Design in Low or Middle-Income Countries

This Commentary explores the relationship between Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and Health Benefits Package (HBP) design to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in low- and middle-income countries. It emphasizes that while HTA evaluates individual healthcare interventions, HBP reform aims to...

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Main Authors: Ole F. Norheim, David A. Watkins
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2023-12-01
Series:Health Systems & Reform
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23288604.2023.2273051
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author Ole F. Norheim
David A. Watkins
author_facet Ole F. Norheim
David A. Watkins
author_sort Ole F. Norheim
collection DOAJ
description This Commentary explores the relationship between Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and Health Benefits Package (HBP) design to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in low- and middle-income countries. It emphasizes that while HTA evaluates individual healthcare interventions, HBP reform aims to create comprehensive service sets considering overall population health needs and available resources. Challenges in LMICs include limited local data and technical capacity, leading to reliance on cost-effectiveness estimates from other settings. We suggest a practical approach by combining HTA and HBP elements through a hybrid or compartmentalized method. This approach sets differentiated cost-effectiveness thresholds for specific healthcare platforms or programs (e.g., primary care or essential surgery), aligning priority-setting with organizational considerations, ethics, and implementation strategies. Strong institutions and academic support are vital for evidence-informed priority-setting processes. In summary, HTA can play a pivotal role in designing HBPs for UHC in LMICs, and a compartmentalized approach can enhance priority-setting while considering budget constraints and equity.
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spelling doaj-art-fb8baf6f95924eea87f2bea3391836a72025-08-20T02:31:23ZengTaylor & Francis GroupHealth Systems & Reform2328-86042328-86202023-12-019310.1080/23288604.2023.2273051The Role of HTA for Essential Health Benefit Package Design in Low or Middle-Income CountriesOle F. Norheim0David A. Watkins1Bergen Centre for Ethics and Priority Setting (BCEPS), Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, NorwayBergen Centre for Ethics and Priority Setting (BCEPS), Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, NorwayThis Commentary explores the relationship between Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and Health Benefits Package (HBP) design to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in low- and middle-income countries. It emphasizes that while HTA evaluates individual healthcare interventions, HBP reform aims to create comprehensive service sets considering overall population health needs and available resources. Challenges in LMICs include limited local data and technical capacity, leading to reliance on cost-effectiveness estimates from other settings. We suggest a practical approach by combining HTA and HBP elements through a hybrid or compartmentalized method. This approach sets differentiated cost-effectiveness thresholds for specific healthcare platforms or programs (e.g., primary care or essential surgery), aligning priority-setting with organizational considerations, ethics, and implementation strategies. Strong institutions and academic support are vital for evidence-informed priority-setting processes. In summary, HTA can play a pivotal role in designing HBPs for UHC in LMICs, and a compartmentalized approach can enhance priority-setting while considering budget constraints and equity.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23288604.2023.2273051Universal Health Coveragehealth benefit packageshealth technology assessmentcost-effectivenessequity
spellingShingle Ole F. Norheim
David A. Watkins
The Role of HTA for Essential Health Benefit Package Design in Low or Middle-Income Countries
Health Systems & Reform
Universal Health Coverage
health benefit packages
health technology assessment
cost-effectiveness
equity
title The Role of HTA for Essential Health Benefit Package Design in Low or Middle-Income Countries
title_full The Role of HTA for Essential Health Benefit Package Design in Low or Middle-Income Countries
title_fullStr The Role of HTA for Essential Health Benefit Package Design in Low or Middle-Income Countries
title_full_unstemmed The Role of HTA for Essential Health Benefit Package Design in Low or Middle-Income Countries
title_short The Role of HTA for Essential Health Benefit Package Design in Low or Middle-Income Countries
title_sort role of hta for essential health benefit package design in low or middle income countries
topic Universal Health Coverage
health benefit packages
health technology assessment
cost-effectiveness
equity
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23288604.2023.2273051
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