Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/219677 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2015
Series/Report no.: 
Institute of Economic Research Working Papers No. 61/2015
Publisher: 
Institute of Economic Research (IER), Toruń
Abstract: 
Despite common heritage, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia (hereinafter Central and Eastern European Countries - CEEC) opted for different models while reforming their health care systems. A common (and important) component of these reforms was privatization and introduction of various market mechanisms in health care systems. The objective of the paper is to identify main challenges resulting from the health care reforms in CEEC. Review of the literature (using EBSCO and ScienceDirect databases) on the results of the health care reforms in CEEC will be followed by an analysis of the changes in health care financing in CEEC between 1995-2012 with a special emphasis on the role of the state in this process. WHO statistics (data) on national health care expenditures divided further into: total health expenditure, general government expenditure, private expenditure, and out of pocket expenditure (with various configurations) will be used. It is argued that health care reforms led (among others) to shifting the financial risk to patients and the state is slowly (and continually) withdrawing from financing health care in CEEC. This diminishing share of state financing of health care is not compensated by tax deductions and/or other forms of allowances. Also the issue of restricted access to health care is indicated here as a by-product of the health care reforms undertaken in CEEC.
Subjects: 
health care reforms
Central and Eastern Europe
financing health care
privatization of health care services
JEL: 
O57
L38
L30
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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