This paper introduces the origin and objective of universal health coverage (UHC), explains the connotation and significance of UHC from three aspects, including service?-, population?- and cost?-coverage. Then, we introduce the practice of pursuing UHC by a variety of foreign countries, presents the progress of promoting UHC in China and the main problems in the process, including the lack and unbalanced allocation of health resources; unfairness of medical costs and utilization of health service between different medical insurance systems; the limited service capacity of primary health care institutions which causing the visiting level promoted. Aiming at these problems, several strategies are put forward to achieve UHC based on the current policy in China and with the experiences and lessons learned from foreign countries. For example, increasing investment in health, especially increasing financial transfer payment in rural areas and the Midwest region; strengthening the capacity building of primary health care institutions; establishing hierarchical diagnosis system; improving the level of security of basic medical insurance and integrating health care system.