Economic crisis, health systems and health in Europe: impact and implications for policy

Abstract

How have health systems in Europe responded to the crisis? How have these responses affected health system performance and population health? And what are the implications of this experience for health systems facing economic and other forms of shock in the future? This document summarizes the findings of a joint study by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies analysing the impact of health policy responses to the crisis in Europe from 2008 to 2013. It is a key part of a wider initiative to monitor the effects of the crisis on health systems and health, to identify the policies most likely to sustain the performance of health systems facing fiscal pressure and to gain insight into the political economy of implementing reforms in a crisis.