Publication: Mitigating the Impact of the Global Economic Crisis on Household Health Spending
Date
2009-08
ISSN
Published
2009-08
Author(s)
Docteur, Elizabeth
Abstract
The ongoing financial and economic
crisis has hit hard the lives of citizens in Eastern Europe
and Central Asian (ECA) countries. Economic growth has
started to dip, unemployment is rising and government
revenues are expected to fall. The crisis is having a direct
impact on the ability of households to pay for health care,
a situation that will likely be exacerbated as real
government spending on health care declines in many
countries due to reduced revenues from the general
government budget and payroll-funded health insurance.
Patients may have to pay higher prices for health care, make
do with reduced access to necessary health services and
medicines, and face other health-related financial hardships
as well. This brief draws on the experience of countries
(outside ECA) in coping with public financing shortfalls, to
provide suggestions for mitigating the impact on ECA
households of reduced public health spending. First,
however, it is important to examine private health spending
patterns in the ECA region.
Citation
“Docteur, Elizabeth. 2009. Mitigating the Impact of the Global Economic Crisis on Household Health Spending. Europe and Central Asia Knowledge Brief; Volume No. 7. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/7fc4ea8f-5a00-5c8e-a0dc-f88b963a467c License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”