Germany expedites cuts to social welfare, pensions, and healthcare to cover military spending, deepening poverty for workers and pensioners while sparing the wealthy. Rising deficits fuel class tensions, prompting calls for socialist reorganization.Germany is moving...
Bulgaria faces EU sanctions as private hospitals, exempt from public procurement, overcharge for medicines. Reformers’ attempts to reintroduce tenders are blocked by political resistance and lobbying, costing the state millions annually and breaching EU rules.Since...
The Coordinated Compulsory Health Care Insurance Act was published in Belgium in July 1994. It is the annex to the Royal Decree of July 14, 1994 coordinating the law on compulsory health care insurance in Belgium, and constitutes the basic text organizing compulsory...
This peer review journal article published in 2023 analyses catastrophic health expenditures and effects on household impoverishment in Togo. Since 2015, Togo has been committed to working towards ensuring access to quality health care without its citizens incurring...
In WHO Southeast Asia, only 1 in 5 women and 1 in 4 men have health insurance, with major gaps due to cultural, economic, and systemic factors. Tailored policies, stronger financing, and community education are needed to boost coverage and achieve Universal Health...
Equitable access to health services without financial hardship is a cornerstone of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Yet, across many countries in the WHO Southeast Asia Region (SEAR), a significant proportion of the population continues to rely heavily on...
Nepal will double health insurance support for eight critical illnesses to Rs 200,000 from July, also expanding enrollment, funding, and including compulsory insurance for government employees for greater program sustainabilityNepal’s Minister for Health and...
Bulgaria’s National Assembly amended the Health Insurance Act to add a second NHIF deputy governor for better management amid growing fund deficits. Controversy arose over reinstating spending limits on medical care, with critics warning of financial strain on...
Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health, supported by the WHO, held a high-level dialogue on the draft bill to establish the Sierra Leone Agency for Universal Health Coverage (SLAUHC), aiming to unify and streamline national health financing through integration of the Free...
Rapid ageing and rising non-communicable diseases are straining South and Southeast Asia’s underfunded healthcare systems. Countries are boosting funding, adopting digital health, and improving preventive care, but rural access gaps and high costs persist despite...
Croatia expanded health insurance exemptions, raised sickness benefits, reformed healthcare staff rules by abolishing internships, tightened misconduct standards, and passed a law requiring a master’s degree for speech therapists, with two years to comply. The...
Ghana approved the MahamaCares Fund to support chronic disease patients outside NHIS coverage, funded by levies and contributions. Despite delays and political concerns over funding and branding, it aims to ease care costs. Further talks with Finance will address...
Morocco has passed major reforms to unify its basic health insurance system under the National Social Security Fund (CNSS), aiming to improve efficiency, transparency, and access to healthcare as part of King Mohammed VI’s broader vision for universal social...
Indonesia makes impressive progress towards universal health coverage in just 10 years, covering over 98 percent of its population through the Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional (JKN) Program, thanks to strong government commitment and collaboration among stakeholders. Badan...
Uruguay's Minister of Public Health is proposing the inclusion of new benefits in the National Resources Fund basket. These include medical equipment and medicines for heart disease and cancer treatments. In June 2025, the Minister of Public Health, Cristina...
