'''Universal health care''' ('''UHC''') can refer to things in two distinct categories: (1) methods of paying for health care, such as [[health insurance]]; and (2) systems of providing patients with services, prescriptions, and the like. Some politicians and activists blur the distinction. All universal health care methods in both categories aim to provide health care for free or low cost to all citizens in a country.
There are several different ways of paying for health care, including private insurance, government-supplied insurance, [[single payer]] [[health insurance]] or [[health savings accounts]].