About the Author

Amanda Glassman is the chief operating officer and a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development. Her research focuses on priority-setting, resource allocation and value for money in global health, and data for development. Previously, she served as director for global health policy at the Center from 2010 to 2016 and as principal technical lead for health at the Inter-American Development Bank from 2007 to 2010, where she led policy dialogue, designed the results-based grant program Salud Mesoamerica, and was team leader for conditional cash transfer programs. She has more than 25 years of experience working on health and social protection in Latin America and elsewhere in the developing world.

Ursula Giedion is a health specialist with over 25 years of international experience in health systems policy. Since 2010 she has served as a senior consultant for the Inter-American Development Bank, where she provides technical assistance to Latin American countries in the area of health care financing and explicit priority setting, and leads CRITERIA—a regional network on explicit priority setting and benefits package design. She works with international organizations on issues related to universal coverage, health care reforms, health care financing, benefits package design, and policies to improve the efficiency of health care spending. She has published on a wide range of issues with a focus on health benefits packages and explicit priority setting.

Peter C. Smith is Emeritus Professor of Health Policy at Imperial College Business School. He is a health economist who previously served as Director of the Centre for Health Economics at the University of York and has published widely on the finance and efficiency of health systems. He has advised numerous governments, including the UK, and several international agencies, including the World Health Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the European Commission, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. He continues to research economic aspects of health systems and global health.

Amanda Glassman is the chief operating officer and a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development. Her research focuses on priority-setting, resource allocation and value for money in global health, and data for development.

Ursula Giedion has over 25 years of experience in health systems policy. Since 2010 she has served as a senior consultant for the Inter-American Development Bank in the area of health care financing and explicit priority setting.

Peter C. Smith is Emeritus Professor of Health Policy at Imperial College Business School. He previously served as Director of the Centre for Health Economics at the University of York.

Reviews

“A wonderful book that breaks down the most complex of challenges into a format accessible to economists, social scientists, and policymakers alike—a must-read for those working to achieve universal health coverage.”- Soumya Swaminathan, Director, Indian Council of Medical Research;

“Resources are always finite—the evidence-based, fair, transparent, and accountable benefits package is the most important tool to justify the use of finite resources to achieve real universal health coverage.”- Suwit Wibulpolprasert, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand;

“This timely publication provides the critical analysis and concrete strategies required by health leaders to design fair and far-reaching health benefit packages that are crucial to achieving universal health coverage and SDG3, and to transforming political promises into people-centered healthcare.”- Felicia Knaul, Director, Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas, University of Miami;

“Universal health coverage globally is an inspiring idea, but it needs to be a practical one too. This book offers invaluable insights from around the world, both into how to design high-quality, equitable, and affordable packages of care, but also, and as importantly, how to implement them.”- Lord Nigel Crisp, former Chief Executive, NHS England;

“This book addresses an important concern: which services can we provide and which can we not, given limited health resources? Because the answer is context dependent, we need principles and methods for deciding what we should and should not cover with public monies.”- Wei Fu, Director General, China National Health Development Research Center;

“What's In, What's Out: Designing Benefits for Universal Health Coverage provides accessible and thorough guidance on the main policy issues related to health benefit packages. This book is a must-read for health policymakers and practitioners seeking to develop a roadmap towards universal health coverage while enhancing the health system's efficiency, equity, transparency, and sustainability.”- Midori de Habich, former Minister of Health, Peru;

“One of the big challenges for universal health coverage in Latin America and the Caribbean is the difference between what is being promised and what is actually delivered, what people may expect and what they actually get. Health benefits packages, by making explicit what is implicit, become critically important in this context.”- Adolfo Rubinstein, Founder and Director General, Institute of Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy (IECS), and Director, Center of Excellence in Cardiovascular Health for South America of IECS;

“Many policymakers emphasize 'who is covered' when they talk about universal health coverage. However, the second dimension, namely 'what is covered,' deserves as much attention, as this book successfully argues. It also gives practical advice on who should be involved, what to consider, and how we can achieve it.”- Reinhard Busse, Professor of Health Care Management, Technische Universität Berlin