Universal Health Coverage
- Family Planning in the Context of Latin America's Universal Health Coverage Agenda
Latin American countries have expanded family planning along with universal health coverage (UHC). Leveraging UHC-oriented schemes to increase family planning program coverage, equity, and financing requires:
Prioritizing poor and indigenous populations
Including family planning services in all benefits packages
Ensuring sufficient supply of commodities and human resources to avoid stock-outs and implicit rationing
Reducing nonfinancial barriers to access
- Inequitable Access to Health Care by the Poor in Community-Based Health Insurance Programs: A Review of Studies From Low- and Middle-Income Countries
The poor lack equitable access to health care in community-based health insurance schemes. Flexible installment payment plans, subsidized premiums, and elimination of co-pays can increase enrollment and use of health services by the poor.
- The imperative for health promotion in universal health coverage
Health promotion and disease prevention have huge impact on health, yet given low priority, risk being overlooked in universal health coverage efforts. To effectively prioritize promotion and prevention, strong cadres of personnel are needed with expertise in legislation and health policy, social and behavior change communication, prevention and community health, health journalism, environmental health, and multisectoral health promotion.