Unless the concept is clearly understood, "universal coverage" (or universal health coverage, UHC) can be used to justify practically any health financing reform or scheme. This paper unpacks the definition of health financing for universal coverage as used in the World Health Organization's World health report 2010 to show how UHC embodies specific health system goals and intermediate objectiv...

In this paper, we present an ongoing research project aimed to determine the impact of co-financing on collaboration around patients with musculoskeletal disorders. A trial legislation that allows the social insurance, social services and health care services to unite in co-financing under joint political steering has been tested in different areas in Sweden. In a series of studies, we compare ...

Nevertheless, it is clear that some initial steps that will change the institutional foundations of health care financing have been taken. The introduction of the federal fund and the (however limited and contested) convergence between SHI and PHI point to an evolutionary change from competitive corporatism to the marketisation of health care (financing), accompanied by a changing role for stat...

BACKGROUND Despite common recognition of joint responsibility for global health by all countries particularly to ensure justice in global health, current discussions of countries' obligations for global health largely ignore obligations of developing countries. This is especially the case with regards to obligations relating to health financing. Bearing in mind that it is not possible to achiev...

BACKGROUND Control of hypertension in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is poor, often less than 10%. A strong body of evidence demonstrates that home blood pressure management lowers blood pressure, and recent guidelines from the National Institute for Clinical Health and Excellence recommends home blood pressure monitoring. However, the preponderance of data on the benefits of home blo...

BACKGROUND For 20 years, substantial effort has been devoted to catalyse health policy and systems research (HPSR) to support vulnerable populations and resource-constrained regions through increased funding, institutional capacity-building and knowledge production; yet, participation from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is underrepresented in HPSR knowledge production. METHODS A bib...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate evidence from published randomised controlled trials (RCTs) for the use of task-shifting strategies for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk reduction in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). DESIGN Systematic review of RCTs that utilised a task-shifting strategy in the management of CVD in LMICs. DATA SOURCES We searched the following databases for relevant RCT...

BACKGROUND In the transition from a planned economy to a market-oriented economy, China's state funding for health care declined and traditional coverage plans collapsed, leaving China's poor exposed to potentially ruinous health care costs. In reforming health care for the 21st century, equity in health care financing has become a major policy goal. To assess progress towards this goal, this p...

OBJECTIVES To explore similarities and differences in challenges to maternal health and evidence implementation in general across several low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and to identify common and unique themes representing barriers to and facilitators of evidence implementation in LMIC health care settings. STUDY DESIGN Secondary analysis of qualitative data. SETTING Meeting repor...

OBJECTIVE To analyze variation in tonsillectomy procedure rates between health care system types around the world. STUDY DESIGN International database analysis. METHODS The 2015 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Health Statistics surgical procedures database was used to ascertain tonsillectomy procedure volumes for 31 countries. Each country's health system type ...