Challenges on the Path to UHC: The experiences of Azerbaijan
In 2018, World Bank's series of UHC Studies was devoted to Azerbaijan. It is aimed at policy-makers and UHC reform implementers in low- and middle-income countries. Over the last decade, Azerbaijan has been able to increase significantly public resources for...
The politics of the basic benefit package health reforms in Tajikistan
Health financing reform is a fundamentally political process. Yet, evidence on the interplay between domestic politics, international aid and the technical dimensions of health financing systems, particularly in the former Soviet Union and Central Asia, remains...
Armenia – Achievements and Challenges in Improving Health Care Utilization
Following the post-Soviet transition period, public spending on health dropped sharply, as did health care use rates. Health care use rates declined in part because formal and informal out-of-pocket expenditures had to compensate for the decrease in public spending....
Issues of Health Care Financing in Russia
The paper published on 20 January 2020 analyses three key issues in the reform of public health care funding in the Russian Federation: the lack of funds to cover the state guarantees of free medical care to the population; the lack of coordination between...
Health System Review of Georgia
This analysis of the Georgian health system reviews developments in its organization and governance, health financing, health care provision, health reforms and health system performance. Since 2012, political commitment to improving access to health care, to...
The 2017 reform to improve financial sustainability of national health insurance in Estonia
In 2017, the Estonian government addressed the longstanding challenge of financial sustainability of the health system by expanding its revenue base. As a relatively low-spending country on health, Estonia relies predominantly on payroll contributions from the working...
Latvia cancels healthcare funding system of «two baskets»
People in Latvia will maintain access to healthcare services in the framework of mandatory health insurance by 2021, regardless of insurance payments made. Recently the Latvian parliament passed as draft amendments to the Latvian Healthcare Funding Law in the final...
Ukraine: review of health financing reforms 2016-2019.
In 2015, the Government of Ukraine initiated transformative reforms of its health system to improve population health outcomes and ensure financial protection from excessive out-of-pocket payments. This was to be achieved through increasing efficiency, modernizing the...
The Health Systems and Policy Monitor for Lithuania
The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies monitors country specific health system and policy related developments. As part of Health Systems in Transition (HiT), it includes health financing that covers health expenditure, sources of revenue, fund flows,...
Reducing out-of-pocket payments for health in order to achieve UHC in Mongolia
Reducing out-of-pocket payments for health in order to achieve universal health coverage in Mongolia – The Center for Policy Impact in Global Health Healthcare costs are among the largest barriers to accessing health services and achieving universal health coverage...
The Future of Health Financing in Vietnam : Ensuring Sufficiency, Efficiency, and Sustainability.
Vietnam is changing rapidly economically, with parallel shifts in epidemiology and demographics. There have also been significant policy shifts in recent years, including in the health sector. The combined effects of these transitions pose some risks to the...
Equity in health care financing: The case of Malaysia
Equitable financing is a key objective of the health system system in Malaysia. Its importance is evidenced in policy documents, policy statements, the work of health economists and policy analysts. The conventional categorizations of finance sources for health care...
Universal health coverage and primary care, Thailand
Thailand’s policy on UHC has made good progress since its inception in 2002. Every Thai citizen is now entitled to essential preventive, curative and palliative health services at all life stages. Like its counterparts elsewhere, however, the policy faces challenges....
Health financing and budgeting practices for health in the Philippines
The Philippines has placed a strong emphasis on achieving UHC. In recent years, earmarked funds from new alcohol and tobacco taxes have substantially increased government funds available for health. This additional funding offers great potential to improve access and...
Lao PDR: New Financing to Improve Access to Health and Nutrition Services
On 12 March 2020, the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved US$23 million for Lao PDR under the Health and Nutrition Services Access Project (HANSA). The project aims to strengthen the country’s health system and improve the quality and coverage of...