ABSTRACT
The cost of financing healthcare keeps increasing, with governments as well as private organisations always trying to find a balance between providing affordable healthcare to healthcare customers and being able to remain in the business of providing care. There is thus the need to comprehend the strategic and sustainable management of the financial resources of any healthcare organization. Health insurance has been identified as one of the sustainable means of providing healthcare services; it is, however, not without its own challenges. Being able to strategically manage the financial resources of a healthcare organisation, coupled with providing affordable healthcare to those in need of the services, is a very important subject. Affordability of healthcare services is also linked to customer satisfaction and marketing. This chapter thus provides the tools and skills needed to effectively manage the finances of a healthcare organisation, and understanding of the operations of health insurance schemes. The tools and skills will help healthcare service managers to achieve optimal results in the provision of services. The reader will also be prepared to lead discussions on the subject and also be able to handle managerial financial decisions in the public and private healthcare sectors. Links between healthcare financing and customer satisfaction are also drawn.
