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About 100 million people are still being pushed into “extreme poverty” (living on $ 1.90 or less a day) because they have to pay for healthcare. Over 800 million people (almost 12 percent of the world’s population) spent at least 10 percent of their household income to pay for healthcare.

Financial protection is achieved when direct payments made to obtain health services do not expose people to financial hardship and do not threaten living standards. Financial protection is at the core of universal health coverage and is one of the final coverage goals of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Role of Digital Financial Services in Healthcare

Digital Financial Services (DFS) are financial products and payment services, including savings, loans, insurance, remittances, and bill payments, that are enabled using mobile phones, credit, debit, and prepaid cards, and other electronic instruments.

USAID’s Global Health Bureau, via its Office of Health Systems and its Center for Innovation and Impact, is considering commissioning a landscaping assessment on the role of digital financial solutions in the context of efforts to both advance financial protection and support improved health system performance.

Building on USAID’s report “The role of digital financial services in accelerating USAID’s health goals” this new assessment will help audiences understand the factors (beyond digitization) that make these solutions successful and the role that digitization can play in enhancing and leveraging these factors, including:

Financial Protection

To what extent have digital health savings and digital health insurance products in low resource settings increased financial protection among clients, including the poor and vulnerable? How does this differ from the results obtained by non-digital approaches to increasing financial protection?

Demand and Utilization

How have any advancements in financial protection from the use of digital financial products also contributed to increased demand for and utilization of health services among clients, including the poor and most vulnerable populations? Were these effects expected as part of the design of the DFS? To what extent can we conclude that such effects were due to the use of DFS?

Health Systems Performance

Has the presence (and if so how) of DFS at the health facility level (e.g., digital billing and payments) improved the quality and responsiveness of service providers? Were these effects expected as part of the design of the DFS? To what extent can we conclude that such effects were due to the use of DFS? To what extent can we identify the impacts of DFS within implementation of broader digital solutions packages?

Implementation Considerations

What barriers/challenges were faced in the implementation of DFS? How did programs adapt? Where successful, what were the critical components in implementation? How and why have providers and implementations incorporated DFS into broader digital solutions or complemented DFS with broader digital solutions? In regard to digitalization, what are examples of successful change management processes (effective approaches of moving from paper-based to digital management systems) to maximize potential results?

Apply Now to Lead USAID DFS Landscape Assessment

USAID anticipates awarding $200,000 for the landscape assessment, if funding becomes available, to a suitable firm. If you want to be considered, please send a brief response of 7 pages or less by July 26th with the following information:

• Comments on scope of services (up to 2 pages), including initial suggested modifications
• The approach the organization would utilize in performing this work (up to 1 page)
• The relevant institutional capabilities and relevant previous work (up to 1 page)
• A summary budget showcasing a rough estimate of resources required by cost category, including project term

Additionally, a detailed description of the proposed research team showcasing their current or previous expertise in this field is required. This information should include:

• The size of the proposed team,
• Each member’s relevant skills and experience,
• Proposed level of effort for each member of the team (up to 2 pages).