Elements for the Comparative Analysis of Extension of Social Protection in Health in Latin America and the Caribbean

This report undertakes the comparative analysis of health protection policies in the Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Some of the elements of health systems which affect health social protection are:

• Legal and judicial framework for social protection, including the role of the state and civil society;
• The health system, its sub-sectors and their role in the evolution of legal coverage;
• The overlap between legal and real coverage.

Some of the difficulties related to health system the Latin American and Caribbean countries are:

• Social development has not been adequate in many of these countries. Inequities have increased as more than 20% of the population lacks access to social protection in health;
• Countries with large populations, such as Mexico and Brazil, have very large regions with highly differentiated indicators, hindering reform efforts.

Some of the steps initiated by the Latin American and Caribbean countries to ensure better health performance are:

• Addressing vulnerable groups using strategies such as targeted health coverage programs;
• Targeting the poor through a variety of public and private insurance initiatives and state care;
• Improving the coverage of health services through local initiatives, such as microinsurance schemes.