Summary

This synthesis firstly compares and analyses various decentralized systems, mainly micro-insurance systems, for extending social protection in health to excluded groups in Latin America and the Caribbean. The study successively examines the contribution of these systems to the equity, efficiency and improvement of the provision of health care. It also analyses their viability from an institutional and financial point of view. Lastly, it proposes subjects for research on this type of system. This paper was jointly prepared by the ILO and PAHO.