World leaders talk progress on universal health coverage

World leaders are gathering in New York City this week for the UN General Assembly — and today, universal health coverage is on the agenda. Officials will hold a high-level meeting today on accelerating progress toward universal health coverage, which UN countries are trying to achieve by 2030. Broadly speaking, universal health coverage means that everyone can receive the quality health care they need without financial hardship. But achieving that will take serious action, according to a new WHO report released ahead of the meeting. The report finds that countries need to start spending at least 1% more of their GDP on primary health care and expand care in underserved areas if they want to meet the 2030 goal.