The many documents available on the P4H Network’s digital platform reflect 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).
The collection provides information on SHP and/or HF reforms and universal health coverage processes from around the world as well as topical analysis and research.
Using income-based caps to protect people from user charges for health care
User charges for health care—such as co-payments for doctor visits, hospital stays, or medicines—can create significant barriers to accessing necessary services, particularly for people with low incomes. To mitigate this, some countries in Europe have adopted...
The case for investing in a healthier future for the European Union
A new report by R-Health Consult, commissioned the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), highlights the significant health and economic benefits of investing in the prevention, early detection, and treatment of five major...
Quick buys for prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases
The research article "Quick Buys for Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases" explores cost-effective interventions that can produce measurable health benefits within five years. Despite the proven effectiveness of the WHO Best Buys for tackling...
Informal employment and high burden of out-of-pocket healthcare payments among older workers: evidence from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India
India's economy features a significant informal workforce that often struggles with low wages and inadequate healthcare benefits, leading many older workers to continue working past retirement age to cover their medical costs. This study found that informal older...
Medicare austerity reforms and patient out-of-pocket costs: The experience from Australian cancer patients
This paper analyzes trends in provider fees, government spending on private out-of-hospital medical services, and out-of-pocket costs for cancer patients following policy changes aimed at reducing government expenditure. It highlights significant variations in...
Smart spending to combat global health threats
Global public goods for health, including prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR) measures, are vital for safeguarding populations against future health threats. Yet the scale of investment in these areas remains inadequate and uneven, especially across income...
Programme-based budgeting for primary care financing: insights for practitioners
In many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), traditional line-item budgeting has hindered effective primary care financing by reducing transparency, limiting flexibility, and fragmenting expenditures. Programme-based budgeting (PBB) offers a strategic...
A Chinese conundrum: does higher insurance coverage for hospitalization reduce financial protection for the patients who most need it?
This paper analyzes how cost-sharing impacts the use of outpatient and inpatient health services in China. The study reveals that increased cost-sharing for outpatient services leads to decreased outpatient usage while simultaneously increasing reliance on inpatient...
Law 100 of 1993 created the comprehensive social security system in Colombia.
In 1993, the Congress of the Republic of Colombia passed Law 100, thus creating the country's comprehensive social security system. It comprises the obligations of the State and society, the institutions and the resources destined to guarantee the coverage of economic...
The Healthcare Financing Progress Matrix
Several years after the implementation of national health financing strategies for universal health coverage, and in a changing institutional context, an assessment of health financing systems is essential. In response to this need, the World Health Organization has...
Law n° 65-00 on basic medical coverage in Morocco
In 2002, the Moroccan government approved and passed the Moroccan Health Coverage Code. The social development policy advocated by His Majesty King Mohammed VI aims to improve health standards (one of the essential components of this policy) and contribute to the...
Gender bias in health financing methods: metrics and data
A new commentary published in BMJ Global Health by Kalipso Chalkidou and Richard Sullivan explores how commonly used economic methods and data in health financing may unintentionally reinforce gender bias. Drawing on findings from The Lancet Commission: Women, Power...
Public health in Germany: structures, dynamics, and ways forward
Germany faces challenges in public health despite its strong economy and social welfare system, with health indicators lagging behind other European nations. Key issues include the lack of a central public health authority, insufficient funding for prevention, and...
Sumar Program: an important contributor to UHC in Argentina over 20 years
As part of the Health Systems & Reform journal 2024 edition devoted to Objective-Oriented Health Systems Reform: Implications for Moving Towards Universal Health Coverage, Martin Sabignoso and colleagues look at the legacy of the Programa Sumar in Argentina. Their...
Madagascar Health Accounts 2019-2020-2021
The preparation of the health accounts is an exercise led by the Ministry of Health, with technical and financial support from the WHO. The international standard methodology of the System of Accounts (SHA) 2011 was applied, making the data collected from countries at...