By Diane McIntyre. June 2007, 72 pages (English). ISBN 2-940286-53-1

To protect their populations from the potentially impoverishing effects of health care costs, low- and middle-income countries face enormous challenges if they need to improve or replace their existing health care financing systems.

This report reviews health care financing in low- and middle-income countries and offers a framework to assess the performance of a health care financing system and make it more equitable, efficient and sustainable by optimizing the three main functions of health care financing: revenue collection, pooling of funds and purchasing. To facilitate drawing from the experience of other countries, the publication presents a range of country case studies that highlight some of the factors that have contributed to the successful set-up and implementation of these functions. A user-friendly fold-out table summarizes at a glance international experience in the performance of these functions in terms of feasibility, equity, efficiency and sustainability. An executive summary is provided in Chinese, English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

"Stronger health systems are needed to promote health equity, deliver effective interventions and ensure that health systems contribute to broader development goals, such as the UN Millennium Development Goals. This comprehensive review of experience with health care financing is a major contribution to the international literature in this field. It represents an invaluable resource for policy-makers, those providing technical support to policy-makers, researchers and students."
- Lucy Gilson, Leader, Hub for Health Systems Knowledge Network, Commission on Social Determinants of Health

"Diane McIntyre captures here the state of thinking and evidence on health care financing choices and their impact in developing countries, and points out that a hard-won consensus has been achieved in the field. [Her report] provides an excellent example of what can and should be done to move things forward."
From the Foreword of David de Ferranti, Chair, Health Financing Task Force