UHC Forward: Towards Universal Health Coverage

This report documents the a discussion of health experts during a meeting on the measurement of trends and equity in coverage of health interventions in the context of universal health coverage (UHC) at the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center from September 17-21, 2012.

Universal health coverage has been defined as all people who need health care receive it, without incurring financial hardship (World Health Report 2010). It consists of two inter-related components: coverage with needed health services and coverage with financial risk protection, for everyone. The former captures the aspiration that all people obtain the health services they need, while the latter aims to ensure that they do not suffer financial hardship linked to paying for these services. People value the fact that good quality health services are available and that they do not have to fear suffering severe economic consequences should they need to use them. The level and distribution of coverage of interventions and financial risk protection have been proposed as the focus of monitoring progress towards universal health coverage (UHC).

The meeting focused on the measurement of health intervention coverage, with a focus on equity, in the context of UHC, guided by a background paper.