What the Philippines Can Learn from Other Countries in Financing Catastrophic Health Expenditures

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This Policy Note summarizes the strategies employed by Kyrgyz Republic, Sri Lanka, and Thailand in successfully financing catastrophic health expenditures and achieving universal health care in their respective countries. It finds that the keys behind the effective implementation of health financing schemes were generating more funds for health and designing benefits and payment methods to make the use of those funds more cost effective. It also highlights the need for the formulation of a Philippine strategy, which should be context specific, and considers not only the technical perspective but also the current social and political climate of the country.