Abstract
Many Thai people have been left behind in a policy of charging for medical services in public health facilities. Different areas of social protection have developed at different paces, however, more than 30% of population are still uninsured. Current policy discussions focus on efficiency improvement, reduction of inequity within the insured population, and the extension of coverage to the entire population. The 30-baht schema, the prospective policy discussed so far, has been implemented from October 2002. It aims at reducing the entire medical cost by providing a way of accessing the health center for those who are suffering from various disease. This paper provides an overview of the insurance system in Thailand and examines how well the 30-baht schema works in Pathumthani province which was chosen as a pilot project.
