Women’s Insurance for State Health – An Impact Evaluation of Health Insurance provided under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund in Taraba State, Nigeria

Last registered on October 23, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Women’s Insurance for State Health – An Impact Evaluation of Health Insurance provided under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund in Taraba State, Nigeria
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0017072
Initial registration date
October 21, 2025

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
October 23, 2025, 7:15 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Andrew Brudevold-Newman
Affiliation
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Ayodele Fashogbon
PI Affiliation
World Bank
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Kevin Croke
PI Affiliation
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Yetunde Fatogbon
PI Affiliation
World Bank
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2023-09-01
End date
2027-06-30
Keywords
Gender, Health
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study evaluates a health-insurance intervention within the Nigeria for Women Project (NfFWP) in Taraba State. Women in Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) received a free, 12-month policy under the Taraba State Health Insurance Agency’s Basic Minimum Package of Health Services (BMPHS), which covers essential primary and secondary care, including consultations, preventive services, maternal and child health, mental health, emergency care, and laboratory services, normally priced at ₦12,000 annually. We use a randomized controlled design in one Local Government Area (LGA): 1,000 WAGs were randomized by ward and mean age to treatment (n=500) or control (n=500), and four women were randomly selected within each group, yielding 4,000 participants (2,000 insured; 2,000 controls). The study focuses on outcomes related to healthcare utilization, health status, out-of-pocket expenditures, and women’s economic participation. The findings are expected to inform policy on expanding health insurance coverage as a strategy to improve women’s health and promote their economic empowerment.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Brudevold-Newman, Andrew et al. 2025. "Women’s Insurance for State Health – An Impact Evaluation of Health Insurance provided under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund in Taraba State, Nigeria." AEA RCT Registry. October 23. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.17072-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention enrolls randomly selected members of Women’s Affinity Groups (WAGs) in Bali LGA, Taraba State, into a free 12-month health insurance plan administered by the Taraba State Health Insurance Agency as part of the Nigeria for Women Project. Coverage consists of the state’s Basic Minimum Package of Health Services (BMPHS) delivered at public primary and secondary facilities. Benefits include general consultations, preventive care, minor surgery, primary eye care, pediatrics, internal medicine, mental health services, maternal and child health, emergency care, and laboratory services. By eliminating the premium for one year, the intervention is designed to reduce financial barriers to essential care and improve women’s health and economic participation.
Intervention Start Date
2024-04-01
Intervention End Date
2026-04-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Health insurance registration and take-up
Healthcare utilization
Health expenditures
Health status
Perceived health status
- See attached pre-analysis plan for more details.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Economic activities
Resilience
Empowerment
- See attached pre-analysis plan for more details.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Our study comprises a clustered randomized controlled trial in Bali LGA, Taraba State, to estimate the effects of offering free 12-month health insurance to women in WAGs. A total of 1,000 WAGs were randomized into treatment (n=500) and control (n=500) arms, with stratification by administrative ward and the mean age of WAG members. Within each WAG, four women were randomly selected. In treatment WAGs, the selected women were offered the insurance; in control WAGs, the selected women served as the comparison group. The analysis sample comprises 4,000 women (2,000 offered insurance; 2,000 controls).
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Computerized randomization
Randomization Unit
We randomized at the women's group level.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
1,000 women's groups.
Sample size: planned number of observations
4,000 women
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
2000 women across 500 women's groups in treatment, 2000 women across 500 women's groups in control
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Taraba State Ministry of Health Health Research Ethics Committee
IRB Approval Date
2024-08-23
IRB Approval Number
TRSHREC/2024-APP/033
Analysis Plan

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