Enhancing the Role of Voluntary Health Insurance (VHI) in Russia, Taking Into Account the Foreign Experience

The purpose of this study is to present successful examples of reforming the voluntary health insurance segment in European OECD countries and to analyze how these practices can increase the popularity of VHI among the Russian population. This study uses qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. The main result is the proposal of effective reforms of the OECD European countries in the field of VHI for Russian realities. As part of the work, global principles for the implementation of voluntary health insurance will be presented. The Russian market of VHI will also be analyzed, and then the mechanisms for the implementation of VHI in Russia and in the OECD European countries will be compared. Thus, measures will be proposed to increase the popularity of the voluntary health insurance sector among the population of the Russian Federation, for example, such as: increasing the affordability of VHI programs; the introduction of targeted VHI plans for various categories of the population; introduction of long-term funded insurance; increasing the role of non-profit insurers, as well as improving the regulatory framework governing the sphere of voluntary medical insurance. The main conclusion of the work is that voluntary health insurance can help increase the availability of medical care. Thus, VHI should be considered in the context of large-scale reforms to improve the national health system. It should be emphasized that in the context of competent reforms, the strengthening of the role of VHI will not lead to a decrease in the availability of medical care for low-income groups. Keywords: voluntary health insurance, VHI, VHI in the OECD European countries, the increasing role of VHI in Russia, VHI reforms.