Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-16-2016

Publication Title

PLoS Medicine

Department

Geisel School of Medicine

Abstract

Universal health coverage (UHC) has gained prominence as a global health priority. The UHC movement aims to increase access to quality, needed health services while reducing financial hardship from health spending, particularly in low- and middle- income countries.
As a policy agenda, UHC has been identified primarily with prepayment and risk-pool- ing programs. While financing policies provide important benefits, increasing access to health services will require broader reforms.
For lessons, the UHC movement should look to the global HIV response, which has confronted many of the same barriers to access in weak health systems. Considerable success on HIV has resulted from innovative approaches that UHC efforts can build upon, in areas including governance, financing, service delivery, political mobilization, accountability, and human rights.
UHC and HIV efforts must capitalize on potential synergies, especially in settings with a high HIV burden and major resource limitations.

DOI

10.1371/journal.pmed.1002083

Download
COinS