Pre-financing community healthcare: the willingness of households to pay for primary health care in Benin

This study aims to determine factors associated with Benin rural households' willingness to pre-finance their primary health care. This study was conducted in Sèmè-Podji, Department Ouémé Benin. The contingent valuation method, namely "bidding game" or "dichotomous choice" was used to determine the willingness to pay for health care. We conducted a probit regression analysis on a sample of 150 rural households. The value of household willingness to pre-finance their primary health care is between 6,000 and 12,000 FCFA per person per year with a median value of 8,000 FCFA/person/year. This value is determined by several factors. Income level, age, usage patterns of health services and promptness in receiving patients have a positive impact on the households' willingness to pay for their health care. The physical characteristics of health centers seem to constitute a barrier to the willingness to pay for health care. The pre-financing of health care by households is determined by socio-economic characteristics as well as physical characteristics of health centers.