The Need for Complementary Health Insurance in Iran and Suggestions for Its Development

International experience has shown that the increasing diversity in healthcare services precludes the integration of all services under a government health insurance plan in terms of performance and economy; no institution receiving a fixed amount of money per capita is able to provide all services. Supplementary insurance is used in many countries.1 In Iran, comprehensive coverage of medical costs through a basic government medical insurance program is not possible because of the rising costs of diagnosis, use of more uptodate and expensive medical technologies, and the development of new treatment methods. The number of people deprived of the right to healthcare is increasing daily. The structure of complementary insurance is based on participation and provides three types of coverage: completion of services, completion of costs, and integration of costs and services. In many leading countries, insurance is provided to a group with the participation of the insured and the insured’s employer who pays the employee’s premiums.