Going universal

The quest for universal health coverage (UHC) has gathered real momentum over the past decade, with countries on every continent now taking part. This is welcome news, since a lack of universal coverage means that hundreds of millions of people around the world either do not get the health care services they need, or they have to pay dearly for them, often falling into poverty as a result. But the UHC agenda also poses an enormous challenge to policy makers across the globe, and many countries are eager to learn from the experiences of others as they undertake the long journey toward UHC. Going Universal: How 24 Developing Countries Are Implementing Universal Health Coverage Reforms from the Bottom Up draws on a wealth of new evidence to help enrich the global knowledge base on UHC. It provides a synthesis of UHC reform programs that placed a special focus on expanding coverage in ways inclusive of the poor. The main objective was to document and analyze their experiences based on a systematic data collection effort that sought to capture in great detail how they have been implementing UHC reforms. The main chapters oer an in-depth analysis of how countries are addressing five key challenges: covering people, expanding benefits, managing money, improving the supply of health care services, and strengthening accountability. The UHC reform programs described in the volume are new, massive, and transformational. Most were launched during the past decade, and together they now cover more than 2 billion people. But most importantly, the authors find that the programs are fundamentally changing the way health systems operate, offering the potential to achieve greater equity and better results for the money spent. The authors identify key risks that lie ahead, as well as an emerging agenda that requires more country and global learning. Overall, this book offers those contributing to the achievement of UHC worldwide a valuable new resource to help chart a way forward.