ISPOR Europe kicks off this week in Barcelona, Spain. In honor of ISPOR, I’ll summarize some key attributes of the Spanish well being care system based mostly on a 2024 report from the European Observatory on Well being Programs and Insurance policies and the Instituto Aragones de Ciencias de la Salud.
Nation overview
Inhabitants: 48.4 million (as of 2023),Life expectancy: 83.2 years (as of 2022), highest within the EUFertility price: 1.2 (as of 2022), under alternative levelsGDP/Capita (present USD): 29,675 GDP/Capita (buying energy parity, USD): 46,332Obesity price: 16percentTobacco use: 19.8% of people >15 had been each day smokersAlcohol use: 6% of adults often have interaction in heavy ingesting (under EU common of 18.5%)
Healthcare spending
Healthcare spending: €132 billion (as of 2021)Healthcare spending as a share of GDP: 10.8% (as of 2021) Pharmaceutical spending: €12.7 billionPublic healthcare spending as a share of general healthcare spending: 71.7% (as of 2021).Out of pocket prices: 20.6% of complete well being spending, largely required for prescription drugs and a few prosthesesRisk of affected person catastrophic expenditures: Very low; among the many lowest within the EU resulting from a number of safety mechanisms (e.g., exemptions from co-payments), accessible major care settings, companies supplied without cost on the level of use.Entry to specialist. Household Physician’s act as gatekeepers to specialised and hospital careFocus of well being reform since 2018: Widen the inhabitants lined by the well being system, cut back co-payments, enhance scope of lined companies, reinforce major care
Medical health insurance choices
Overview: The Spanish nationwide well being system (SNS) gives common protection for residents largely funded by taxes. Well being competences, nonetheless, are transferred to the 17 Autonomous Communities (Comunidades Autónomas). The Ministry of Well being is liable for the general coordination of the well being system underneath the governance of the Inter-territorial Council for the SNS (Consejo Interterritorial del Sistema Nacional de Salud, CISNS). Insurance coverage eligibility: Based mostly on residency in Spain. (This marks a change from 2012-2017 when eligibility was linked to the authorized and employment standing of people)Can sufferers decide out of the general public well being care system (SNS): No, nonetheless people can buy voluntary medical insurance (VHI) in the event that they desireWhat share of sufferers buy supplemental medical insurance: 20.8% buy VHI (as of 2021)
Supplier provide:
Hospital beds. 296/100,000 inhabitants, of which 81.4% of beds are at public hospitals Nurse vs. docs: The ratio of nurses to docs has lingered under the OECD nations’ common ratio (1.4 towards 1.97).Key considerations: Shortages in major care physicians in rural areas, projected future shortages in some specialties (e.g., household drugs, anaesthesiology, geriatrics, psychiatry and radiology)
Current coverage modifications and challenges:
Is euthanasia authorized?: Sure, as regulated by Natural Regulation 3/2021Key challenges: Addressing entry gaps, (e.g., restricted protection of dental and optical care), and enormous ready lists for some companies
To study extra, you may learn the complete report.
