Access to care and health status inequalities in a context of healthcare reform

Host Country : Hungary

Place and date : Budapest , 17. - 18.1.2007

Peer countries : Austria - Bulgaria - Czech Republic - Estonia - Finland - France - Luxembourg - Portugal - Slovenia

Across Europe, people with lower socio-economic status also tend to be in poorer health. How can barriers to health care access be overcome? This vital question will be tackled by a Peer Review to be held in Budapest, Hungary, in January 2007.

The meeting, which will compare the experiences of various European countries, will look at the finance and organisation of health care systems as part of social protection systems - and as factors in reducing health inequalities.

According to a recent EU report, all European countries are faced with substantial inequalities in health within their populations. People with a lower level of education, a lower occupational status or a lower level of income tend to die at a younger age, and to have a higher prevalence of most types of health problem. Some health inequalities actually widened during the last decades of the 20th century.

As highlighted in the European Commission’s Social Situation Report 2003, the Joint Report on Social Inclusion 2004 and the Joint Report on Social Protection and Social Inclusion 2006, universal or near-universal rights to care can be found in all EU Member States. But these do not necessarily translate into universal access. Differences in the individual ability to benefit fully from services may arise, due, for example, to socio-economic status, age or gender. Barriers to access stem from factors such as service availability, distribution and location, waiting times, income, knowledge, beliefs, information and preferences.

The Peer Review will examine how planned policies in this field relate to the common objectives of the EU’s Open Method of Coordination. In particular, the transferability of good practice from one country to another will be analysed.

One example to be highlighted is the host country Hungary, where the National Public Health Programme explicitly aims at the reduction of inequality and the promotion of greater solidarity. It focuses on socio-economic determinants, but also on regional and ethnic health inequalities (the health status and outcomes of the Roma people are far below the national average). A Green Paper on Health is currently under public discussion in Hungary. National experts will present Hungary’s Health Reform Strategy during the Peer Review, and it will be compared with other countries’ experiences.

Agenda - | en |

Peer Review manager

Ms Monika Natter ( ÖSB Consulting GmbH )

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Access to care and health status inequalities in a context of healthcare reform

Host Country : Hungary

Place and date : Budapest , 17. - 18.1.2007

Peer countries : Austria - Bulgaria - Czech Republic - Estonia - Finland - France - Luxembourg - Portugal - Slovenia

Peer Review manager

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