## Universal Health Care 101: Lessons for the Eastern Caribbean and Beyond

_IMF Working Papers, March 1, 2009_

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [Universal Health Care 101: Lessons for the Eastern Caribbean and Beyond](https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2016/12/31/universal-health-care-101-lessons-for-the-eastern-caribbean-and-beyond-22769)

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## Bibliographic details
- Authors: Evridiki Tsounta
- Published: March 1, 2009
- Series: IMF Working Papers
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781451872088.001

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### Summary and scope
- Paper objective: provide general policy recommendations on financing, design, and implementation of universal health care.
- Geographic focus: Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) countries; policy implications stated as applicable to any country.
- Key finding on country specificity: "The best financing option is country-specific depending on a country’s economic, cultural, institutional, demographic and epidemiological characteristics, as well as political economy considerations."

### Financing findings and recommendations
- Primary financing source recommended: taxation should be the primary financing source.
- Emphasis on country-specific choice: financing option depends on economic, cultural, institutional, demographic, epidemiological characteristics, and political economy considerations.

### Benefit package and financial viability
- Conclusion: "An appropriate and realistic benefit package would need to be designed to ensure the system’s financial viability."

### Implementation: preconditions and governance
- Preconditions for optimal implementation:
  - sound public administration,
  - a small informal economy,
  - a transparent health financing system that builds social consensus.

### Subject areas and keywords
- Subject: Aging, Expenditure, Health, Health care, Health care spending, Population and demographics, Social security contributions, Taxes
- Keywords: Aging, Caribbean, country authorities, ECCU country, ECCU health system, financing system, government expenditure, government Health spending, health affair, health card, Health care, Health care spending, health cost, Health economics, health financing, health financing goal, health outcome, health system, health system attainment, health system performance, Social security contributions, WP

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_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2016/12/31/universal-health-care-101-lessons-for-the-eastern-caribbean-and-beyond-22769_