Summary (English)

Coverage by health care - percentage of total (public and private) health care expenditure not financed by private household¿s out of pocket payments (as a proxy indicator)
Any measurement of coverage by health care should relate to effective (financial and geographical) access to quality health care specified in the benefit package. It should refer to health risks which have a significant impact on income generation and loss. Indicators thus should measure the proportion of the population that is:

• Able to pay for care (due to social health protection)
• Get the care needed (extent and quality of services) through services which are geographically available (availability of infrastructure, medical professionals etc) (cost of transport!) and culturally accepted.

One should thus look at the statistical information on:

• Affordability of health expenditure
• Availability, level and quality health services provided

There are a number of indicators available, based on data coming partly from surveys, partly from administrative data sources and there is no one which would describe all the dimension of the health coverage. Ideally, one would need an index reflecting coverage, affordable access and scope and levels of protection and SECSOC is working on such index.

For a time being this indicator can be used as proxy of affordable access to health protection: percentage of total (public and private) health care expenditure not financed by private household's out of pocket payments which is more or less equivalent to percentage of total (public and private) health care expenditure in the country covered either by general government or by pre-paid private insurance, by employers or NGOs.

This indicators is calculated using data from the national health accounts, available in many countries and for which estimates are available in the WHO database (World Health Organisation | WHO Statistical System [More ...])