Social coverage for economically disadvantaged Gabonese
In the context of the introduction of mandatory health insurance in Gabon, the government was concerned about social coverage for its economically disadvantaged citizens. It was not politically or socially acceptable to establish health coverage that would exclude a large segment of the population. This raised the issue of the financing of their benefits. An innovative form of financing was thus found - specifically, an indirect earmarked tax referred to as the "mandatory health insurance fee".