This OECD study examines the growing role of financial actors—such as private equity, pension funds, and insurers—in outpatient health care across OECD countries. Drawing on responses from health ministries and system-level data, it highlights increasing concerns...
The policy brief “Tax Systems and Policy: Crucial for Good Health and Good Governance”, published by the United Nations University International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH) in May 2025, reframes taxation as a central pillar of equitable and sustainable...
A new article in Think Global Health calls for a gender levy on tobacco and alcohol taxes to fund gender-smart health, combat NCDs, and address the industry's manipulation of gender norms.A recent article in Think Global Health by Kent Buse, Jeni Klugman, and Elhadj...
Global health leaders at WHA78 call for urgent country-led action to address health financing gaps and strengthen domestic data systems amid declining external support.At the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly on 21 May 2025, ministers from several countries...
SDG indicator 3.8.2 has been revised to better capture financial hardship from health costs, now measuring out-of-pocket spending over 40% of discretionary income to reflect poverty impact. SDG indicator 3.8.2 is designed to measure financial protection in health—an...
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its World Report on Social Determinants of Health Equity, shedding new light on the deep-rooted causes of health inequities across the globe. These inequities, often shaped by factors such as income inequality,...
Health insurance (HI) has become a central policy tool in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region as countries work toward universal health coverage (UHC). Despite the dominance of government funding and out-of-pocket (OOP) spending in financing health care, a...
Experts at a UNU-IIGH symposium urged stronger regulation of private sector influence to protect public health and ensure equity in global health governance. The United Nations University International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH) and Third World Network...
The HGPI report highlights the critical role of data in advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and health financing, emphasising the use of international databases for effective policy development and global comparison. The Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI)...
Higher taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks could raise $2.1 trillion for low- and middle-income countries while improving public health and reducing reliance on foreign aid, says the IMF.A new Finance & Development article by Masood Ahmed and Minouche...
Global health aid is declining, with over 3 billion people in debt-burdened countries. Nations like Nigeria and Thailand are adapting, but coordinated, sustainable solutions are urgently needed. The global health community is facing a critical juncture, as highlighted...
Decisions by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) members to freeze or cut aid disrupt health services in low- and middle-income countries, risking a 40% drop in health aid by 2025 and worsening workforce...
The Office of Health Economics (OHE) published the research paper "Analysing Global Immunisation Expenditure" on April 15, 2025. This comprehensive study examines immunisation spending trends from 2016 to 2022 across ten countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France,...
Over the past three decades, the world has made significant progress in improving population health, particularly in low- and lower-middle-income countries. Reductions in infant mortality and the disease burden among young children reflect both socioeconomic...
In response to growing interest among middle-income countries in the WHO European Region to engage private health-care providers (PHPs) within publicly funded health systems, the WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing has developed this primer to support...
