Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-15T03:47:54.284Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Financial impact of the GFC: health care spending across the OECD

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2014

David Morgan  and
Roberto Astolfi
David Morgan*
Affiliation:
OECD Health Division, OECD, Paris, France
Roberto Astolfi
Affiliation:
Statistician/Economist, OECD, Paris, France
*
*Correspondence to: David Morgan, OECD Health Division, OECD, Paris, France. Email: David.Morgan@oecd.org
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Since the onset of the global financial crisis (GFC), health spending has slowed markedly or fallen in many OECD countries after years of continuous growth. However, health spending patterns across the 34 countries of the OECD have been affected to varying degrees. This article examines in more detail the observed downturn in health expenditure growth, analysing which countries and which sectors of health spending have been most affected. In addition, using more recent preliminary data for a subset of countries, this article tries to shed light on the prospects for health spending trends. Given that public sources account for around three-quarters of total spending on health on average across the OECD, and, in an overall context of managing public deficits, the article focuses on the specific areas of public spending that have been most affected. This study also tries to link the observed trends with some of the main policy measures and instruments put in place by countries. The investigation finds that while nearly all OECD countries have seen health spending growth decrease since 2009, there is wide variation as to the extent of the slowdown, with some countries outside of Europe continuing to see significant growth in health spending. While all sectors of spending appear to have been affected, initial analysis appears to show the greatest decreases has been experienced in pharmaceutical spending and in areas of public health and prevention.

Type
Overview
Information
Health Economics, Policy and Law , Volume 10 , Special Issue 1: SPECIAL ISSUE: Global Financial Crisis, Health and Health Care , January 2015 , pp. 7 - 19
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Gaál, P., Szigeti, S., Csere, M., Gaskins, M. and Panteli, D. (2011), ‘Hungary: health system review’, Health Systems in Transition, 13(5): 1–266.Google Scholar
Legido-Quigley, H., Otero, L., la Parra, D., Alvarez-Dardet, C., Martin-Moreno, J. M. and McKee, M. (2013), ‘Will austerity cuts dismantle the Spanish healthcare system?’ British Medical Journal, 346: f2363.Google Scholar
Mladovsky, P., Srivastava, D., Cylus, J., Karanikolos, M., Evetovits, T., Thomson, S. and McKee, M. (2012), Health Policy Responses to the Financial Crisis in Europe, Policy Summary 5, Copenhagen: WHO.Google Scholar
OECD (2010), Value for Money in Health Spending, OECD Health Policy Studies, Paris: OECD.Google Scholar
OECD (2013), OECD Health Statistics 2013, Paris: OECD.Google Scholar