The drivers of catastrophic expenditure: outpatient services, hospitalization or medicines?

Overview

Universal  coverage  and  a  reorientation  towards  primary  health  care  is  an  international  goal.  Financial  risk protection  is  a  cornerstone  of  universal  coverage  along  with  access  to  care.  Health  spending  through  out-ofpocket  payment  (OOP)  is  not  always  easy  to  cope  with.  Households  may  encounter  financial  hardship  and poverty  as  a  result.  Indeed,  effective  and  equitable  health  systems  and  universal  coverage  ensures  that citizens  are  able  to  access  needed  care  without  suffering  financial  hardship.  As  such  all  strategies  in  moving towards  universal  coverage  need  to  fundamentally  address  financial  risk  protection.

This report is part of a series, The World Health Report 2010 Background Papers, which were written to inform the process of developing the key messages of the World Health Report 2010: Health systems financing: The path to universal coverage.