Determinants of Willingness to Pay for Community Health Insurance Among Commercial Motorcyclists in Kampala City, Uganda: A Contingency Valuation Study

Background: To assess determinants of Willingness to Pay (WTP) for Community Health Insurance (CHI) among commercial motorcyclists (Boda boda riders) in Kampala City, Uganda. Methods: This is a descriptive study with a cross-sectional design. A total of 381 commercial motorcyclists were selected from Nakawa Division using purposive and simple random sampling methods. Structured interviews and contingency valuation method were used for data collection and measuring WTP for CHI. Data were collected in April, May and June 2019. Data were analyzed in SPSS software, v. 21 by multivariate regression analysis and considering at significance level of P<0.05. Results: Most of Boda boda riders had WTP for CHI (70%); 7 out of 10 commercial motorcyclists were willing to pay a premium of at least 70,000 UGX (20 USD).Those with at least five years of experience in the commercial motorcycle business were 9 times more willing to pay for CHI. Those with hired motorcycles and a history of involvement in a riding accident were less likely to pay for CHI. The other key determinants of WTP included: Being a commercial motorcyclist for 3 years or more, being aware of CHI, self-employment (riding own motorcycle), a history of payment for any form of insurance, and being single. Conclusion: The WTP for CHI is high among commercial motorcyclists in Kampala City. The WTP among these motorcyclists is determined more by individual factors and less by insurance scheme-related factors. The results recommend the coverage of informal sector by CHI schemes to increase universal health coverage in Uganda.