Person:
Hou, Xiaohui
Author Name Variants
Fields of Specialization
health economics; social safety nets; poverty
Degrees
ORCID
Departments
Health, Nutrition and Population, East Asia and Pacific Region, World Bank
Externally Hosted Work
Contact Information
Last updated
January 31, 2023
Biography
Hou, Xiaohui is a Senior Economist in the World Bank. Joined as a Young Professional, she has since worked in Human Development department and Poverty Reduction and Economic Management department across the East Europe and Central Asia region, the South Asia region, and most recently the East Asia and Pacific region. She also spent a number of years in the World Bank Institute, the capacity building arm of the World Bank, focusing on face to face training and network development. Her fields include health economics, social safety net, labor economics and impact evaluation. She has published a dozen of papers in both economics and medical peer reviewed journals. She also teaches as a visiting scholar. A Peking University graduate, she obtained her Ph.D. in the Health Services and Policy Analysis and a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master’s degree in Health Policy and Administration from the Washington State University.
Publication Search Results
1 - 5 of 5
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Publication
A Snapshot of Health Equity in Papua New Guinea: An Analysis of the 2010 Household Income and Expenditure Survey
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-06)This paper highlights challenges that the government of Papua New Guinea faces in delivering equitable health care. It analyses findings from the 2010 household survey, including sickness reporting, health service utilization and out of pocket expenditure, concluding that the poorest quintile is most vulnerable to illness, yet has the lowest utilization rates of healthcare facilities. The lack of healthcare workers and the distance to facilities are among the most dominant reasons cited for not utilizing healthcare facilities in the poorest quintile while out-of-pocket payments have minimal catastrophic impact, yet have still been found to be a barrier to utilization. The paper also sets out policy implications of these findings, including the need for the government to focus on, and prioritize, strengthening the health services delivery to achieve universal health coverage. -
Publication
A Snapshot of Health Equity in Papua New Guinea: An Analysis of the 2010 Household Income and Expenditure Survey
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-05)In Papua New Guinea the poorest quintile is most vulnerable to illness, yet has the lowest utilization rates of healthcare facilities. When looking at age groups the elderly ( 55) are the most vulnerable to illness and the least likely to seek treatment. The lack of healthcare workers and the distance to facilities are among the most dominant reasons cited for not utilizing heath care in the poorest quintile. The perceived quality of services is a barrier to health care utilization across all quintiles. Out-of-pocket (OOP) payments have minimal catastrophic impact, yet have been found to still be a barrier to utilization - especially amongst the poorest quintile. The government should focus on and prioritize strengthening the health services delivery to achieve universal health coverage. -
Publication
Financing the Frontline in Papua New Guinea: An Analytical Review of Provincial Administrations' Rural Health Expenditure 2006-2012
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-09)Financing the Frontline updates the expenditure analysis carried out in Below the Glass Floor (2013) and tests whether the spending patterns emerging in 2009 and 2010 in Papua New Guinea have been sustained or improved in 2011 and 2012. The review also supports a better understanding of the issues that confront frontline service delivery — such as the ambiguity of roles and responsibilities in some rural health functions — and proposes next steps. Concurrently, the National Department of Health performance information on facilities (from the National Health Information System) has been reviewed. The integration of the expenditure analysis, the NHIS performance information and the findings from the Promoting Effective Public Expenditure facility surveys will provide a rich source of information to help sharpen understanding and shape solutions. -
Publication
Reforming the Basic Benefits Package in Armenia: Modeling Insights from the Health Interventions Prioritization Tool
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-03-26)Armenia is an upper-middle-income (UMI) country in the South Caucasus region. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and a regional crisis have resulted in the real economy's contraction following rapid growth in the past five years. Improving access to high-quality health care is essential for responding to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and preventing mortality from infectious diseases in Armenia. Armenia is faced with the challenge of achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) when funding for health services faces downward pressures due to a donor funding transition, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and regional conflict. This report is part of the World Bank’s technical support toward universal health coverage in Armenia, which includes advisory services and analytics aimed at supporting the government’s efforts to expand access to high-quality health care. The report draws on the Health Interventions prioritization tool to optimize allocations across essential health services in the basic benefits package and estimate the potential impact of these allocations on population health. -
Publication
Improving Allocative Efficiency in Zimbabwe’s Health Sector: Results from the Health Interventions Prioritization Tool
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021)The country of Zimbabwe has seen some important improvements in key health outcomes since 2009. However, despite progress in some areas of the health sector, the country did not meet its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and current progress falls short of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) milestones. As is often the case, the poor and rural populations in Zimbabwe bear a disproportionate burden of disease and health risks. The situation is compounded by national economic challenges and health sector spending inefficiencies that have resulted in households bearing an increasing share of health sector financing, mainly through out-of-pocket expenditures. Households provide approximately 25 percent of health sector financing in Zimbabwe. Again, the poor and rural populations are hardest hit by this economic reality. Zimbabwe was one of the few countries in which HIPtool was piloted at the proof of concept stage. HIPtool enables the mathematical prioritization of interventions based on existing data and a set of criteria. It provides a technical foundation to further develop an essential health benefits package. However, HIPtool, at this stage in development, still has strong limitations, which are outlined along with results in this report.