The number of documents available on the P4H Network’s digital platform reflects the network’s scope of work. The majority of documents are primary source materials created by country nationals or resources produced by organizations working in social health protection (SHP) and/or health financing (HF).
Japan’s emerging role in bridging immunisation gap and supporting global health
The sudden suspension of United States funding to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and Gavi in 2025 has raised serious concerns for global immunisation programmes. Historically, US support has been instrumental in reducing child mortality and...
Financing and purchasing mechanisms of primary health care in Southeast Asia region: Findings from a scoping review
Primary health care (PHC) is recognized as the cornerstone of resilient health systems, yet financing it remains a persistent challenge in many parts of the world. In Southeast Asia, countries continue to prioritize PHC in policy commitments, but questions remain...
What’s next for sugar taxes?
As global rates of obesity, diabetes, and other non-communicable diseases continue to rise, governments are increasingly turning to fiscal policies as tools for improving public health. Among the most debated and widely adopted measures are sugar taxes—levies designed...
Avoiding trillion-dollar delays: Pooled pandemic financing to reduce global losses
The Center for Global Development (CGD) has released a working paper by Ruchir Agarwal, Avoiding Trillion-Dollar Delays: Pooled Pandemic Financing to Reduce Global Losses (September 2025). The paper underscores how the absence of a coordinated financing mechanism...
Can people afford to pay for health care? New evidence on financial protection in Italy
Italy experiences higher catastrophic health spending than many EU countries, predominantly affecting low-income, southern-region, and pensioner-headed households, driven by outpatient medicines and care for poorer groups and dental care for wealthier ones....
Delivering on Health and Financial Protection for All: Financing Benchmarks for Essential NCD Services and Options for Improving Access to Affordable NCD Medicines
The report published by the NCD Alliance addresses one of the most pressing global health challenges of our time. Chronic illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, along with mental health conditions, now account for the majority of...
Inequalities and trends in access to health insurance and essential public health services among internal migrants in china: 2013 to 2018
China’s 2009 health-care reform expanded Universal Health Coverage (UHC), but inequalities persist for internal migrants. Analysis of nearly one million migrants (2013–2018) showed high medical insurance enrollment (87.4%) and financial protection improvements, but...
Cross-regional study of evidence gaps on unmet needs for health and social care: executive summary
Universal health coverage (UHC) is central to ensuring equitable access to health and social care services, yet significant unmet needs remain across regions, particularly among older populations. While global monitoring indicators track progress toward UHC, they...
Primary health care policy investments in the Latin America context: Health systems experiences from Brazil, Chile, and Colombia
Primary Health Care (PHC) is widely recognised as the cornerstone of equitable and resilient health systems, offering an essential route toward achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). In Latin America, the persistence of deep social and health inequalities,...
Addressing public health and health system challenges in Greece: reform priorities in a changing landscape
Greece’s health system has faced mounting strain from ageing populations, chronic diseases, financial pressures, and shocks like COVID-19 and climate change, which have exposed deep structural weaknesses. Although multiple reforms have aimed to improve funding,...
Is a Spending Freeze Sufficient to Stabilise the Contribution Rate in Germany’s Statutory Health Insurance? A Counterfactual Simulation
Germany's statutory health insurance expenditure has consistently outpaced member contribution revenues by about 1% annually for nearly 25 years, necessitating further contribution rate increases unless policy changes occur. A proposed spending moratorium aims to...
Health drain: the effect of internal migration on regional disparities in healthcare costs
Internal migration in the Netherlands from 1998 to 2018 altered regional healthcare cost disparities by concentrating younger, healthier individuals in prosperous provinces and older, sicker individuals in disadvantaged ones. Using a novel framework that adjusts for...
SECM annual activity report, 2023 (Belgium)
In this document from 2023, the Service d'évaluation et de contrôle médicaux (SECM) of the Institut national d'assurance maladie-invalidité (INAMI) reports on its activities. The SECM's statutory mission is to ensure that the resources of the health care insurance...
The socioeconomic and health system determinants of financial protection indicators: a global systematic review (2008–2023)
Financial protection is a cornerstone of Universal Health Coverage, yet millions of households worldwide continue to face catastrophic or impoverishing health expenditures. Understanding who is most vulnerable is essential for designing equitable policies and...
No shortcuts to universal health coverage: lessons from accountability initiatives
Universal health coverage (UHC) has long been a global health priority, reaffirmed in multiple international commitments since 2015. Yet despite political momentum, progress has stalled, with 4.5 billion people still lacking access to essential health services and...