Global Projects

Summary

A team of JHSPH faculty -- including Hugh Waters, Gerard Anderson, Laura Morlock, and Alan Lyles -- worked closely with the Government of Ecuador to develop a plan for expanding health insurance in that country. Ecuador currently has one of the lowest rates of health insurance coverage in Latin America, with just 20% of the population insured. The plan has two main approaches: (1) expanding social security-based health insurance to cover dependents of formal sector workers; and (2) ensuring access to a package of essential health services for poor, rural populations throughout the country. This plan is currently being implemented by the Government of President Alfredo Palacio, a former Minister of Health. The project was financed by World Bank and the Government of Ecuador.