Slovenia has a universally accessible, mostly publicly-owned health care system based on statutory, employment-based Social Health Insurance, with a single payer. Voluntary Health Insurance (VHI) plays a significant role, with nearly three quarters of the population buying this complementary insurance to help cover co-payments levied on services within the benefits package. In 2019, total health spending represented 8.5% of GDP. Thanks to relatively high public spending on health and the extensive uptake of complementary VHI, out-of-pocket spending is significantly below the EU average.

Health policy developments and reforms over the last 5 years have focused on implementing an e-Health programme to improve service quality, integrate existing health information systems and optimize health data. Strengthening primary care also has been a long-standing priority with a new strategy being developed in 2022, several organizational reforms to community primary care centres focusing on care integration and the national scale-up of Family Medicine Practices. Meanwhile, the financing and organization of long-term care has been a persistent issue of national debate. As well as these areas, future reform activity is likely to focus on health workforce planning; waiting times in secondary-level specialist care; diversification of health system revenue; and health system performance assessment.