Achieving UHC for older people
Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is defined by WHO as ensuring that all people and communities receive the quality services they need, and are protected from health threats, without financial hardship. Population ageing will have an impact on the ambition of universal health coverage, because without considering the health and social care needs of the ever-increasing numbers of older people, UHC will be impossible to achieve.
Mechanisms to ensure older people can access services without financial burden will be crucial, however national health financing systems must be designed not only to allow older people to access services when they are needed, but also to protect them from financial catastrophe by abolishing out of pocket spending for older populations.
The design and financing of universal coverage must include interventions that have the greatest influence on healthy ageing trajectories and include investments in integrated health and social care for older people. Designing age-friendly benefit packages is important to extend coverage for older people.
To support these approaches WHO:
- Has included interventions relevant to Healthy Ageing including ICOPE interventions in the UHC compendium.
- Is developing a UHC service package for long-term care that will provide countries with a minimal list of long-term care services to be included in age-friendly benefits packages.
