Community Health Insurance And Universal Coverage

Overview

Several  forms  of  community-based  financing  mechanisms  exist  in  the  world, particularly  in  low-  and  middle-income  countries.  They  are  primarily  based  on  the concepts  of  insurance,  credit  or  saving  and  advocate  or  bring  in  solidarity  at  the community  level.  These  mechanisms  are  largely  community  initiated,  owned  and operated.

This brief is part of a series, The World Health Report Technical Briefs, written to further develop key policy issues outlined in the World Health Report 2010: Health systems financing: The path to universal coverage. The Briefs give a concise overview of the issues. They describe some country experiences and propose a menu of actions for policy makers.