A health benefits package is the central policy instrument that many countries use as a building block toward universal health coverage (UHC). The package defines the coverage of services, who can receive them, and the proportion of costs covered. It also guides both the delivery of care and the allocation of required resources, including for provider payment and procurement, and budgeting. Effective benefits packages do not remain static. They become a living instrument through regular revision to meet changing disease burdens, fluctuating budgets, and the emergence of new services. However, making the right revisions at the right time for the right circumstances can be difficult and this can impede progress towards UHC.
Responding to demand from the JLN member countries, and to help practitioners and policymakers keep their benefit packages up to date, delivered appropriately and efficiently, the Joint Learning Network (JLN) has developed the Making Explicit Choices on the Path to UHC: the JLN Health Benefits Package Revision Guide. The guide is not a prescriptive blueprint but is designed to provide guidance to policymakers in low- and middle-income countries on the process and methods of Health Benefit Package revision, based on the experiences of 18 countries around the world.
This JLN knowledge product was financially supported by Australian Aid, the government of Japan, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Joint Learning Network, co-supported by the Advance UHC, is a community of practitioners and policymakers from 34 countries around the world who engage in practitioner-to-practitioner learning. Through the network’s products and tools, countries can exchange practical solutions to their shared challenges in achieving UHC.