Utilization of Community-Based Health Insurance among Residence of Katsina State, Nigeria

Enrollment Into Any Form Of Insurance Is Very Low In Katsina State, With Most People Paying Out Of Pocket For Health Care. The Utilization Of Community-Based Health Insurance Will Provide Financial Risk Protection And Improve Health Outcomes. The Objective Of The Study Is To Compare Differences In Utilization Between Community-Based Health Insurance Member Households And Non-Member Households And To Identify Factors Associated With The Utilization. A Comparative Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study Was Conducted Among Household Heads In Katsina State, Nigeria. Targeted Participants Were Selected Using Multistage Sampling Techniques. Primary Data Was Generated Using Open Data Kit (ODK), Which Was Later Downloaded And Exported To SPSS Version 20® For Statistical Analysis. Mean, And Standard Deviation From The Mean (Mean ± SD) Were Used To Study Population Characteristics Towards Utilization Of CHI. The Statistical Significance Level Of Analyzed Variables Were Accepted At P≤0.05. The Mean Age Of Respondents Was 46.82±13 And 44±12.5 Years For CBHI Enrolled And Non-Ensured Groups, Respectively. Heads Of The Households Were Predominantly Males And Currently Married, With 97.3% And 93.3% For CBHI Members Compared To 82.7% And 99.3% Of Non-Member Households, Respectively. The Enrolled CBHI Group Utilizes PHC Services More Than The Non-Enrolled Group(P<0.05) With Age, Marital Status, Education, Number Of Children, And Distance To Health Facilities All Associated With Utilization. Utilization Of CBHI Was Higher Among Enrolled Groups Than Non-Enrolled Groups. Many Factors, Such As Age, Marital Status, Education Level, And Payment Of Transportation To The Facility, Affect Utilization Of These Services. We Recommend CBHI Be Expanded, Poor And Vulnerable Groups Are Given Special Consideration, And People Not Enrolled Should Be Encouraged To Join. Keywords: Community, Comparative, Health, Insurance, Utilization.