With universal health coverage included among the health-related Sustainable Development Goals, the issue of how to finance health for all remains at the centre of global policy debate. This summary compares strategic purchasing of two tax-financed non-contributory schemes in Thailand: the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS), managed by National Health Security Office (NHSO), and the Civil Servant Medical Benefit Scheme (CSMBS), managed by these Comptroller General Department (CGD) of the Ministry of Finance. It examines the NHSO and the CGD as purchasers, and how they interact with three key groups: health service providers, the national government and their members.