Publications
Previous editions of Health system summaries
Health System Summaries are stand-alone, concise documents summarising the main elements of a country’s health system in an engaging, policy-relevant way. They analyse core evidence and data on the organization, financing and delivery of health care. They also provide insights into key reforms and the varied challenges testing the performance of the health system.
The information derives from the most recently published Health Systems in Transition (HiT) review on a country and is then updated for new editions of Summaries every two years, incorporating new data, policy developments and important reforms, as highlighted by the Health Systems and Policies Monitor (HSPM).
Like HiTs, Health System Summaries follow a common template and allow comparisons across countries.
The Health System Summaries series is a complementary resource to HiTs, enhancing the Observatory’s country monitoring activities and supporting rapid access to country evidence.
Previous editions of Health system summaries
France: health system summary 2024 (updated)
The French health system combines a social health insurance system with a national health system approach. It provides universal population coverage...
Estonia: health system summary 2024 (updated)
Estonia has a social health insurance (SHI) system that covers about 94% of the population of 1.3 million, leaving those with temporary or unstable employment...
Czechia: health system summary 2023
Czechia’s health system provides virtually universal membership and a broad benefits package. Stewardship and the health system policy process are...
Sweden: health system summary 2023
Sweden’s tax-based health system covers almost everyone who lives or works in Sweden. The Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, with support from...
Finland: health system summary 2023
From 2023, Finland’s restructured health system will deliver health and social services via 22 Well-being Service Counties, which are governed by...
Germany: health system summary 2022
Germany has a complex and decentralized health system, with governance divided between the federal and state levels, and corporatist bodies of self-governance....
Austria: health system summary 2022
Austria has a complex health system with responsibilities for health system governance being divided between the federal and the regional level. Health...
Estonia: health system summary 2022
Estonia operates a social health insurance (SHI) system that covers approximately 95% of the population of 1.3 million, with those in temporary or unstable...
Italy: health system summary 2022
Italy has a regionalized National Health Service (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale, SSN), that provides universal coverage to all citizens and legal residents....
Bulgaria: health system summary 2022
Bulgaria’s health system is highly centralized and based on a compulsory social health insurance (SHI) scheme, with a single purchaser - the National...
Poland: health system summary 2022
Poland has a health system based on social health insurance (SHI) that is universal, covering almost all of the resident population. The scope of services...
Slovenia: health system summary 2022
Slovenia has a universally accessible, mostly publicly-owned health care system based on statutory, employment-based Social Health Insurance, with...
Latvia: health system summary 2022
The Latvian National Health System serves a population of 1.93 million. Despite near universal population coverage, the benefits package is rather...
Croatia: health system summary 2022
Health insurance is mandatory in Croatia and covers all residents. No opting out of mandatory health insurance is possible and almost the entire population...
Norway: health system summary 2022
Health coverage among Norwegian residents is universal, covering the whole population, and the benefit basket includes a broad range of services. With...
Belgium: health system summary 2022
The Belgian health system covers almost the entire population for a wide range of health services. Residents must be affiliated to a sickness fund of their...
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