Overview

Poland has a health system based on social health insurance (SHI), covering almost all of the resident population. The scope of services covered under SHI is broad, but there are important coverage gaps such as for reimbursable medicines where significant cost-sharing is required and for dental services which are largely excluded from the benefits package.

Current health spending has increased considerably over the last two decades, reaching US$ 2925 per capita (adjusted for differences in purchasing power) in 2022. Despite this, health spending was considerably lower in Poland than the EU average, although higher than the average for the WHO European Region. In 2022, out-of-pocket (OOP) payments made up about one fifth of health spending (19%), and spending on voluntary health insurance was also substantial (7.5%).

Much of the focus of recent reforms has been on improving the organization of care for some of the key health problems, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and mental health conditions. This included skill-mix changes among health professionals and strengthening of care coordination, including within primary care. Changes in 2024 tasked the Health Insurance Fund with financing all health care services that were previously financed directly from the state budget, but without the Fund being guaranteed additional financial resources. Reform plans in the hospital sector target restructuring and improving efficiency as well as the quality of inpatient care through authorization and accreditation of health care providers, monitoring of adverse events and patient compensation.