People all over the world depend on having access to health services for maintaining their health or for their survival. It is crucial therefore that they are able to afford the treatment they need. Payments for health care push an estimated 100 million people into poverty every year. Functioning social health protection systems could prevent this. They entitle people to access the health services needed, they ensure that no one is impoverished by health bills, and they set prices and contributions according to what people are able to pay. This book represents the combined insight into social health protection from over 200 academics, policy makers and politicians, who gathered at the International Conference on Social Health Insurance in Developing Countries in Berlin in December 2005. The book tackles issues as diverse as universal coverage, social dialogue, poverty reduction or mixed financing systems and draws on experiences spanning four continents.