Several low- and middle-income countries are interested in extending their existing health insurance for specific groups to eventually cover their entire populations. For those countries interested in such an extension, it is important to understand the factors that affect the transition from...

In recent years, China has seen an unprecedented expansion of health insurance for its population in its quest to achieve universal health coverage. By 2011, 95% of the Chinese population was insured up from less than 50% in 2005 through public or employer-based insurance schemes. As part of...

Clear sand adsorbs 15–35% total phosphorus (P) from septic tank effluent, but adsorbed P is mobilized when low-P effluent is then applied. Amorphous P compounds formed by alkali aluminate chemical addition may also be subject to leaching. Crystalline mineralization is the desired end effect...

Processes for removing sewage nitrogen at the individual residential scale must be low-maintenance with only annual service visits. A passive autotrophic process in an upflow configuration, using a 50-50 mixture by volume of: (a) agricultural sulfur for nitrate reduction, and (b) agricultural...

Septic tanks have been used for anaerobic treatment of raw sewage for well over one hundred years, and their basic design has not fundamentally changed over that time. On the other hand, there have been tremendous improvements in our understanding of anaerobic microorganisms and development of...

The Philippines has placed a strong emphasis on achieving Universal Health Coverage. In recent years, earmarked funds from new alcohol and tobacco taxes have substantially increased government funds available for health. This additional funding offers great potential to improve access and health...

This article sheds light on the role of subnational governments in health systems across OECD countries. The views in this article show a move away from traditional measures of decentralisation, such as the share of subnational government expenditure of total expenditure, to measures capturing a...

This article looks at the application of performance measurement systems in the health sector across OECD countries. The data comes from the 2017 OECD Survey on Performance Measurement Systems in the Health Sector and Responsibilities across Levels of Government. The results show that the...