Universal Health Coverage

Abstract

Universal health coverage (UHC) aims at providing quality health services for all people in a society without suffering financial hardship. UHC embodies three related objectives: (1) equity in access to health services, (2) the quality of health services is good enough to improve the health of those receiving them, and (3) people using services are protected from risk of financial hardship. The drive toward UHC is one of the most prominent global health movements in recent years. The commitment to UHC involves a complex set of decisions about how health systems will be organized, potential sources of financing, how resources will be used and governed, and the attributes of the health service delivery system and its workforce that are needed to deliver on UHC commitments. This chapter provides a brief history of the UHC movement and an overview of the policy dimensions of UHC that are critical for countries to make continued progress. The chapter also discusses how progress toward UHC can be measured and how countries can prioritize steps toward UHC that ensure equitable progress even in the face of current fiscal realities.