How OECD health systems define the range of good and services to be financed collectively

Universal health coverage has been achieved in nearly all OECD countries, providing the population with access to a defined range of goods and services. This paper provides detailed descriptions of how countries delineate the range of benefits covered, including the role of health technology assessment and specific criteria to inform the decision-making process. Further, the paper examines the composition of assessment/appraisal and decision-making bodies across the different OECD health systems, highlighting the role of patients and public as well as transparency of decision-making processes. While the process of including new technologies to the range of benefits covered is structured and relies on a well-defined set of criteria, dynamic adjustments of the range of benefits covered are less structured. The paper then looks at the boundaries of health care coverage and presents a set of services for which coverage varies greatly across the OECD countries.