Resource Type: Brief
Authors: Health Finance and Governance Project
Published: 12/30/2015

Resource Description:

The idea of universal health coverage (UHC) as a goal of health policy has gained wide acceptance at country and global levels. UHC is now a fixture of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015. The question on policymakers’ minds today is not why countries, with the support of the international development community, should work towards UHC, but rather how they can accelerate progress towards UHC. The main goal of UHC is that all people have access to effective and high-quality health services, without experiencing financial hardship. Strengthening country health systems to achieve this goal, however, is no easy task.

There is growing literature that builds the evidence base in support of UHC, and also documents important policy lessons on achieving UHC. This brief presents an annotated bibliography of useful resources on UHC, targeting USAID staff. It includes high-level reports to introduce UHC to non-health systems experts, as well as references for books and journal articles that explore key policy questions in more depth.

The 26 selected resources are organized in the following sections: 1) Basic concepts and background, 2) Measurement, 3) Country examples and applications, 4) Health financing, 5) Benefit plans, 6) Other relevant topics, and 7) Additional resources. While not an exhaustive list of the topics and resources relevant to UHC, this brief aims to cover the basics and to inspire the reader to ask the right questions when exploring UHC.