Healthcare Financing in Saudi Arabia: Recent Trend and Future Challenges.

ABSTRACT

This paper provides an overview of the present healthcare financing system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and identify critical issues and challenges that need to be addressed in achieving healthcare system financing goals envisioned under the Saudi Vision-2030. This paper employed a descriptive framework based on literature review, documentation analysis, and secondary data on healthcare financing in the KSA collected from various reports. The study shows that the overall health expenditure as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product has increased from 4.4% (2001) to 6.4% (2018). The per capita expenditure on healthcare was US dollar (US$) 1484.6 in 2018, out of which the government's share was US$ 926.95. After the introduction of mandatory employer-based health insurance, the percentage of public funding on healthcare has slowly declined from 75.2% (2001) to 62.4% (2018), and out-of-pocket spending on healthcare reduced from 18.46% (2000) to 14.37% in 2018. The health financing system in the KSA faces several challenges, including health insurance coverage, access to care, equity, and quality of care.