Universal Health Coverage Day – December 12, 2024

History of Universal Health Coverage Day

Universal Health Coverage Day was originally promoted by the World Health Organization. The World Health Organization is part of the United Nations and is responsible for international public health. In December 2012, the United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution urging countries to fast-forward universal healthcare progression. The foundation hopes to cement the idea that everyone, everywhere should have access to affordable and quality healthcare, which is a vital priority for international development.

While all UN member states, including the United States, committed to accelerating the progress towards universal health, approximately 30 million Americans remain uninsured. Many middle- and low-income countries are also attempting to move in the direction of affordable and quality health care but there is still a lot of work to be done. Three countries are especially highlighted for their quality healthcare structures. Germany, which has the world’s first and oldest health-insurance system, the Netherlands, which has one of the best-performing healthcare systems, as well as Canada, which is America’s neighbor of equal geographical size.

The first modern healthcare system was established by a German named Chancellor Otto von Bismarck in 1883. The insurance model, called the ‘Bismarckian system’, required everyone to have insurance through sickness funds, which were similar to the current-day non-profit health-insurance companies. This coverage was initially only limited to blue-collar workers. Over time, mandatory health insurance became something for other societal classes. By 1987, nearly 90% of the population was covered. In 2007, Germany established its ultimate goal by passing a law that mandated health insurance for all residents.

In Canada, Saskatchewan became the first province to introduce universal public health insurance for hospital and diagnostic services in 1947. Today, all Canadians are automatically covered by Medicare — the country’s publicly funded healthcare system — which includes 13 provincial and territorial health plans. Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, private insurance and compulsory sickness-fund systems were consolidated into a single system in 2006. All residents are required to obtain health insurance, purchased on a national exchange.

Universal Health Coverage Day is also an opportunity to reflect on the progress made to date in the U.S. No two countries take the same path when it comes to healthcare, as they build their systems by taking into account their own historical, cultural, and sociopolitical contexts. While the U.S. has not yet achieved universal health coverage, the UN goal for 2030 is within reach for the country, as well as around the globe.