Data derived using the new index also identified that countries with more universal healthcare systems had better health outcomes, lower inequality in life expectancy and even a lower likelihood of conflict. The index reveals that healthcare universalism has increased over time, with the world Healthcare Universalism Index (HUI) value increasing by nearly 20% from 0.395 to 0.472 between 1995 and 2017 – seemingly contradicting dominant narratives around the marketisation of healthcare and the declining role of the state. In addition, the gap in healthcare universalism between developed and developing countries has widened on average. For the first category, the researchers found that the level of healthcare universalism was positively associated with life expectancy at birth and negatively correlated with infant mortality. Find out more:Schillings, T and D Sánchez-Ancochea (2021) ‘The Role of Healthcare Universalism in Advancing Human Security’.
