Unaffordable health costs? We’re sick of it!
On 12 December 2012, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed a resolution urging countries to accelerate progress toward universal health coverage (UHC) – the idea that everyone, everywhere should have access to quality, affordable health care. On 12 December 2017, the United Nations proclaimed 12 December as International Universal Health Coverage Day (UHC Day) by resolution 72/138.
International Universal Health Coverage Day aims to raise awareness of the need for strong and resilient health systems and universal health coverage with multi-stakeholder partners. Each year on 12 December, UHC advocates raise their voices to share the stories of the millions of people still waiting for health, champion what we have achieved so far, call on leaders to make bigger and smarter investments in health, and encourage diverse groups to make commitments to help move the world closer to UHC by 2030.
The COVID-19 pandemic has again shown us that UHC and health security are intertwined goals to protect everyone, everywhere, that we achieve through the same health system – in crisis and calm. For health systems to work, they must work for everyone – no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they have. Equitable health coverage puts women, children, adolescents, and the most vulnerable first because they face the most significant barriers to essential care.
On 12 December, join us to demand action on universal health coverage and call on leaders to invest in financial protection for health. Our lives, livelihoods and futures depend on it.
UHC Day on 12 December is the annual rallying point for the global movement for health for all. It marks the anniversary of the United Nations’ historic and unanimous endorsement of universal health coverage (UHC) in 2012.
Building on momentum from 2024, this year’s campaign highlights the devastating human impact of unaffordable health costs and calls on decision-makers to prioritize universal health coverage. The campaign launched in early October and will culminate on 12 December 2025.
More than half the world’s population still lacks access to essential health services. And a quarter of them face financial hardship when paying for health care out of their own pockets, often at the expense of food, education or housing.
The 2025 UHC Day campaign theme, “Unaffordable health costs? We’re sick of it!”, focuses on the lived experience behind these statistics, reminding government decision-makers that unaffordable health costs are making our communities poorer and sicker and holding us back on all of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The campaign toolkit provides a step-by-step guide to help advocates raise their voice and get involved, including messaging and visuals in multiple languages. Click here to get started: www.universalhealthcoverageday.org.
Background
UHC means that everyone, everywhere, can access to the health services they need without risk of financial hardship. It is embedded in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG target 3.8) and includes the full range of essential health services, spanning health promotion, prevention, and treatment.
The three dimensions of UHC are population coverage (who receives services, linked to equity), service coverage (what health services are available), and financial protection (ensuring health services do not lead to financial hardship). UHC is based on the principles of equity, non-discrimination and the right to health, ensuring that the most marginalized populations are reached and covered, and no-one is left behind.