ISSN: 2261-7434
Rose Constantino
The United Nations and the World Health Organization aims through Universal Health Care to build a healthier world. Currently, over 800 million people spend 10-20% of their household income on healthcare. Currently, 800 million people spend 10-20 % of their household income on healthcare and about 100 million people are pushed into extreme poverty every year because of out-of-pocket spending on healthcare What is UHC: Universal Health Care (UHC) is the process of building a healthier world. Pros about UHC are lower healthcare costs for all, same equitable standard of healthcare for all, reduces administrative costs by eliminating private insurance, well, most people in the world are not covered or cannot afford private health insurance, creates a healthier workforce, preventive care reduces emergent care, early childhood or maternal care prevents future social and healthcare costs, and forces each person to make healthier choices. Cons of UHC are that it induces other healthy people to pay for others’ healthcare, high personal financial costs for those who can afford, people may become careless about health management because healthcare is free to become unhealthy and, long healthcare waits for emergent or surgical care Strategies for effective UHC: A-B-C-D-E and the Need for a Paradigm Shift Accommodation stakeholders must be involved from start to finish. Building Bridges as in reaching out to those who are around the margins. Collaboration-share leadership responsibilities, let the community share research development to implementation to Outcomes. Diversify diverse perspectives and equal representation are crucial. Engagement is a strengths-based process through which individuals healthy or not healthy form a healing connection with people that support their wellness and recovery within the context of family, culture, and connectivity. For UHC to be successful and sustainable, make A (Accommodation), B (Building Bridges), C (Collaboration), D (Diversification), and E (Engagement) a priority. The 12 principles on how to advance a culture of A-B-C-D-E principles will be discussed.