Ensuring affordable access to healthcare for everyone in the European Union: What gaps remain and how can the EU support Member States to overcome them?

European Union (EU) Member States have made multiplecommitments to progress towards universal health coverage (UHC),so that everyone can access quality healthcare without experiencingfinancial hardship. Yet, significant gaps in all three dimensions ofhealth coverage (population coverage, user charges, and benefitspackages) remain. This article highlights some of these gaps, looks athow access to healthcare has been addressed through the EU’s socio economic governance and funding instruments, and suggests ways inwhich the EU can further support national progress towards UHC.