UHC Watch: the platform powering health financing policy debates in Europe and Central Asia

When Estonian journalist Helen Mihelson started crafting an article to explain the government's proposal to increase user charges (co-payments) for visits to specialists, emergency care and outpatient prescribed medicines, she turned to UHC Watch - WHO/Europe's online platform tracking progress on affordable access to health care in Europe and Central Asia.

The data she found there helped her to put the government's plan in a European context, revealing that, if approved, user charges in Estonia would rank among the highest in Europe for essential health services. Mihelson's article, published in Estonia's largest daily newspaper, Õhtuleht, drew on UHC Watch indicators and policy coverage data to show how changes in co-payments would deepen inequalities in access to health care.

"UHC Watch gave me the evidence I needed to make the story meaningful and credible," says Helen. "It's not just numbers - it's a reliable source that helps journalists to explain complex health financing issues. Instead of simply reporting on the government's proposal, I was able to give readers a wider perspective on how Estonia compares to other European countries."

Designed for policy-makers, analysts, academics, journalists and civil society groups, UHC Watch offers timely evidence, clear policy guidance and an intuitive interface to support countries in moving towards universal health coverage (UHC).

A growing evidence hub

Now fully operational for just over a year, UHC Watch has attracted more than 5000 unique users from 142 countries. The platform presents evidence and analysis for 45 countries in Europe and Central Asia, with up-to-date country-level and comparative data on key UHC indicators (financial hardship, unmet need and health spending) and crucial policy areas (population coverage, service coverage, user charges and private or voluntary health insurance).

For Pedro Pita Barros, Professor of Health Economics at Nova School of Business and Economics in Portugal, UHC Watch has become a practical tool for grounding public debate in evidence. Beyond teaching, he rus a health economics blog and frequently participates in podcasts where he discusses health system challenges in Portugal and across Europe. He highlights the importance of clearly defining problems, identifying the right data and drawing on international experience before proposing solutions - a process that UHC Watch supports.

"With UHC Watch, I can situate Portuguese debates in a broader context and show how other countries respond to similar policy challenges. Its reliable, up-to-date and interactive analyses are a key resource for the academic world, anchoring facts and figures and supporting research that advances UHC."

UHC Watch is supported by the European Financial Protection Network, a group of 75 senior analysts like Professor Pita Barros, convened by the WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing to systematically assess affordable access to health care in the European Region.

New regional and subregional pages

This year, to mark UHC Day, the platform has introduced new regional pages offering a clear overview of how health systems perform across the European Region and in 3 subregions: the European Union, the Western Balkans, and Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

The new pages enable users to compare countries at a glance. In the Numbers section, users can find short explanations and easy-to-read charts. "The story behind the numbers" draws on comparative analysis to identify key coverage policy choices that countries should avoid.

An interactive policy checklist highlights country examples of good practice to show how it is possible to make progress. These include France changing the basis for entitlement to social health insurance benefits from payment of contributions to residence; Spain expanding coverage for undocumented migrants; Ukraine strengthening coverage of outpatient medicines; and Austria introducing an automatic and income-based cap on co-payments for outpatient medicines.

All data in one place

UHC Watch makes it easy to explore country and regional progress towards UHC. With just a few clicks, users can find evidence-based answers to key questions, such as those listed below.

• How well do countries protect people from out-of-pocket payments for health care?
• How many households in Europe are pushed into poverty or cannot afford to pay for food, housing or utilities because of out-of-pocket payments?
• Who is most likely to experience financial hardship or unmet need?
• Which types of health care are most likely to lead to financial hardship or unmet need?
• What are the main gaps in health coverage in Europe? How well does private health insurance fill these gaps?
• How can countries reduce out-of-pocket payments, particularly for people with low incomes?

Key features of UHC Watch include:

• a dynamic, easy-to-use health financing policy and performance dashboard, allowing users to customize their search for indicators and information, compare countries and download charts and data;
• regional and subregional pages with comparative data and analysis at a glance;
• country pages with data, analysis and country-specific recommendations;
• an Indicator explorer with over 40 country-level and comparative metrics on financial hardship, unmet need and health spending;
• a Policy explorer with up-to-date information on coverage policy in 49 countries, including data on population coverage, service coverage, user charges, private health insurance and changes in coverage policy over time;
• a repository of over 200 resources on health financing, including country-specific and comparative reports, multimedia files and news articles in several languages; and
• a Methods guide that explains how UHC Watch tracks progress towards UHC.

More information

WHO/Europe monitors affordable access to health care (financial protection) through the WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing, using regional indicators that are sensitive to equity. Financial protection is central to UHC and a key dimension of health system performance assessment. It is an indicator of the Sustainable Development Goals and part of the European Pillar of Social Rights, and it is at the heart of the European Programme of Work, WHO/Europe's strategic framework.

UHC Watch has benefited from European Union funding through the EU4Health programme and a project to strengthen health systems resilience in the Western Balkans.

It is supported by the European Financial Protection Network, a group of 75 senior analysts convened by the WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing to systematically assess financial protection in the European Region.