Financing Healthcare in Central and Eastern European Countries: How Far Are We from Universal Health Coverage?

ABSTRACT: After the fall of communism, the healthcare systems of Central and Eastern European countries underwent enormous transformation, resulting in departure from publicly financed healthcare. This had significant adverse effects on equity in healthcare, which are still evident. In this paper, we analyzed the role of government and households in financing healthcare in eight countries (EU-8): Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. A desk research method was applied to collect quantitative data on healthcare expenditures and qualitative data on gaps in universal health coverage. A linear regression analysis was used to analyze a trend in health expenditure over the years 2000-2018. Our results indicate that a high reliance on out-of-pocket payments persists

SUBMITTER: Tambor M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7913209 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature