Valuing health across groups: a cross-sectional population-based willingness-to-pay survey in Bhutan.

Introduction: Context-specific cost-effectiveness thresholds (CETs) informed by societal willingness to pay (WTP) are crucial for healthcare resource allocation in low- and middle-income countries. This study investigated WTP for health per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) in Bhutan.

Methods: A WTP survey was conducted alongside the 2023 National Health Survey in Bhutan, sampling 1869 households. Using contingent valuation, respondents assigned monetary values to three hypothetical scenarios: 1 year of cancer symptom-free life, 1 year of perfect health and 5 years of perfect health. We used generalised linear regression to estimate WTP, controlling for demographic, socioeconomic and health-related factors, as well as elicitation methods. Multilevel analyses examined WTP variations within and between districts.

Results: WTP estimates were 76 836 Bhutanese ngultrum (BTN) (0.26 times gross domestic product (GDP) per capita; 95% CI: 71 397 to 82 275) for a year without cancer symptoms, 104 381 BTN (0.35 times GDP per capita; 95% CI: 96 405 to 112 357) for 1 QALY and 235 237 BTN (0.78 times GDP per capita; 95% CI: 218 674 to 251 800) for 5 QALYs. WTP variations were driven by within-district individual characteristics, particularly income and education, rather than between-district differences.

Conclusion: Minimal between-district WTP variations support a national-level CET for Bhutan. However, WTP-based CETs would be biased upward by wealthier and more educated groups. This bias could justify expensive technologies that strain public resources in Bhutan's government-funded healthcare system.