Financing Healthcare for Migrants: A Case Study from Thailand

Launched at the turn of the millennium, Thailand’s Universal Health Coverage Scheme has also been applied for labour migrants from neighboring countries.  However, the scheme only addresses the health needs of registered migrants, leaving out more than three quarters of the total migrant population who are unregistered migrants and dependents from the system.  This study investigates the current healthcare financing schemes for registered and unregistered migrants, the administration and cost recovery of the Compulsory Migrant Health Insurance Scheme, and recommendations for future options for financing healthcare for migrants in Thailand.