Eurohealth: health systems and the financial crisis

Abstract

The global economic crisis has affected most sectors, including the health sector. Although rather unpopular, some governments have responded with policies aimed at reducing public spending on health care. Some of the more common reforms across countries have endeavoured to moderate the growing budgets for health services; rationalize the benefit packages; increase the share of health expenditure paid by private households; and implement wide-reaching reforms in the pharmaceutical market. This issue of Eurohealth presents articles in the Eurohealth Observer section which detail the extensive austerity-driven reforms implemented in a variety of European countries – with specific case studies on Estonia, the Czech Republic, Greece and Ireland. Each of these countries has been affected to differing degrees by the global economic crisis that began in 2008, and their policy responses in the health sector illustrate the magnitude of their economic woes and their prospects for recovery. The rest of this issue contains Eurohealth International – Professional Qualifications Directive: patient perspective; Eurohealth Systems and Policies – Health insurance competition and switching (‎the Netherlands)‎, Pharmaceutical market reforms (‎Portugal)‎, The evolution of obesity (‎Spain)‎, Performance in chronic care (‎Denmark)‎; Eurohealth Monitor – new publications.