This week, the Asia Insurance Industry awarded Dr. David Dror, Chairman of the Microinsurance Academy with the Personality of the Year Award “for his groundbreaking research and study which has helped boost understanding of how the world’s poorest communities can benefit from microinsurance.” This is the first time in the 13 year history of the Asia Insurance Industry Awards that microinsurance has been recognized. 

The Microinsurance Academy, based in India, conducts research and training and provides technical assistance to community-based health insurance schemes.  Over the past year we have partnered with them on research projects to examine questions around consumer education and health insurance and quality of care.  The question of whether health insurance can improve the quality of health care available to insured clients is an important one, but has been largely under-studied.  We examined this question, in partnership with MIA, through a qualitative study in Pune, India.  Results are expected shortly.

It has been an excellent partnership for us, and we congratulate Dr. Dror on the much-deserved award.