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Promoting universal financial protection

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While there is great global momentum to move towards universal financial protection, there is limited evidence on how to pursue this goal in the context of low-and middle-income countries. This thematic series, entitled "Promoting Universal Financial Protection" presents the findings of seven country case-studies that explore factors that have facilitated or hindered expansion of financial risk protection. In addition, this series includes an overview article that synthesises key lessons from experience of the seven countries. This thematic series and the case-studies were financially supported by the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (AHPSR) and the Health Financing Department, World Health Organization. Technical support was provided by Prof. Diane McIntyre and Dr. Ayako Honda from the University of Cape Town, South Africa and Dr. Kent Ranson and Dr. Bhupinder Kaur Aulakh of AHPSR. The peer review of this series is independent of the sponsors. The authors alone are responsible for the views expressed in this publication and they do not necessarily represent the views, decisions or policies of the World Health Organization.

  1. The present study focuses on the program “Medical Insurance for the Poor (MIP)” in Georgia. Under this program, the government purchased coverage from private insurance companies for vulnerable households iden...

    Authors: Akaki Zoidze, Natia Rukhazde, Ketevan Chkhatarashvili and George Gotsadze
    Citation: Health Research Policy and Systems 2013 11:45
  2. Although universal health coverage (UHC) is a global health policy priority, there remains limited evidence on UHC reforms in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This paper provides an overview of key in...

    Authors: Di McIntyre, Michael K Ranson, Bhupinder K Aulakh and Ayako Honda
    Citation: Health Research Policy and Systems 2013 11:36
  3. This paper explores the implementation and sustenance of universal health coverage (UHC) in Costa Rica, discussing the development of a social security scheme that covered 5% of the population in 1940, to one ...

    Authors: Juan Rafael Vargas and Jorine Muiser
    Citation: Health Research Policy and Systems 2013 11:28
  4. India’s health expenditure is met mostly by households through out-of-pocket (OOP) payments at the time of illness. To protect poor families, the Indian government launched a national health insurance scheme (...

    Authors: Narayanan Devadasan, Tanya Seshadri, Mayur Trivedi and Bart Criel
    Citation: Health Research Policy and Systems 2013 11:29
  5. Public-private collaborations are increasingly being utilized to universalize health care. In Malawi, the Ministry of Health contracts selected health facilities owned by the main faith-based provider, the Chr...

    Authors: Maureen L Chirwa, Isabel Kazanga, Giulia Faedo and Stephen Thomas
    Citation: Health Research Policy and Systems 2013 11:27
  6. Empirical evidence demonstrates that the Thai Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) has improved equity of health financing and provided a relatively high level of financial risk protection. Several UCS design featu...

    Authors: Viroj Tangcharoensathien, Siriwan Pitayarangsarit, Walaiporn Patcharanarumol, Phusit Prakongsai, Hathaichanok Sumalee, Jiraboon Tosanguan and Anne Mills
    Citation: Health Research Policy and Systems 2013 11:25
  7. The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), a compulsory formal sector scheme took over the management of the Community Health Fund (CHF), a voluntary informal sector scheme, in 2009. This study assesses the or...

    Authors: Josephine Borghi, Stephen Maluka, August Kuwawenaruwa, Suzan Makawia, Juma Tantau, Gemini Mtei, Mariam Ally and Jane Macha
    Citation: Health Research Policy and Systems 2013 11:21
  8. The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Nigeria was launched in 2005 as part of efforts by the federal government to achieve universal coverage using financial risk protection mechanisms. However, only ...

    Authors: Chima A Onoka, Obinna E Onwujekwe, Benjamin S Uzochukwu and Nkoli N Ezumah
    Citation: Health Research Policy and Systems 2013 11:20