Susan Giaimo is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Departments of Political Science and Biomedical Sciences at Marquette University, USA. She was a postdoctoral fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Scholars in Health Policy Research Program at the University of California at Berkeley, USA. She also taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA.

• 1. The Intersection of Health and Politics2. The United States: An Ambivalent Journey toward Universal Coverage3. Germany: Modernizing National Health Insurance to Meet New Challenges4. South Africa: Confronting the Legacies of Apartheid5. Conclusions and Prospects

Susan Giaimo is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Departments of Political Science and Biomedical Sciences at Marquette University, USA. She was a postdoctoral fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Scholars in Health Policy Research Program at the University of California at Berkeley, USA. She also taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA.

• 1. The Intersection of Health and Politics2. The United States: An Ambivalent Journey toward Universal Coverage3. Germany: Modernizing National Health Insurance to Meet New Challenges4. South Africa: Confronting the Legacies of Apartheid5. Conclusions and Prospects

Susan Giaimo is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Departments of Political Science and Biomedical Sciences at Marquette University, USA. She was a postdoctoral fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Scholars in Health Policy Research Program at the University of California at Berkeley, USA. She also taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA.

• 1. The Intersection of Health and Politics2. The United States: An Ambivalent Journey toward Universal Coverage3. Germany: Modernizing National Health Insurance to Meet New Challenges4. South Africa: Confronting the Legacies of Apartheid5. Conclusions and Prospects