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https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2899-8557

Afilliation

Department of Health Economics, Corvinus University of Budapest, Budapest, Hungary

Department of Health Services Research; CAPHRI, Maastricht University Medical Center; Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, The Netherlands

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Health promotion for older people in Hungary: The need for more action

Petra Baji

Public Health and Governance, Volume 15, Issue 1, 2017, pp. 96 - 107

https://doi.org/10.4467/20842627OZ.17.010.6236

The health status of the Hungarian population is relatively poor, compared to other countries of similar socio-economic development. Unhealthy diet, smoking, alcohol consumption and low physical activity are important risk factors leading to cardiovascular system diseases – the main cause of death in the general population and among people 65+ in Hungary. Yet, the OECD health statistics indicate that Hungary belongs to a group of countries with the lowest per capita expenditure on prevention and public health and that the level of this expenditure is decreasing.

In Hungary, there is no legislation specifically dedicated to public health (Public Health Act) and the matters of public health and health promotion are regulated by various legal documents. The directions for public health policy are set in National Public Health Programmes. To address the problem of the ageing population, in 2009 a National Ageing Strategy (2009–2034) was adopted. The Strategy stresses the need to develop programmes for prevention, rehabilitation and health promotion for older people.

The main actor in public health policy is the central government, namely its agency the National Public Health and Medical Officer Service. Also, territorial governments play an important role, though they have limited financial capacity to spend on health promotion and they need to rely on external unstable sources of funds when implementing health programmes for older people. NGOs might be important partners for health promotion along with public authorities. However, they require more financial and infrastructural support to be able to perform more activities in the field of health promotion for older people.

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Long-term care financing in Europe: An overview

Petra Baji

Public Health and Governance, Volume 17, Issue 3, 2019, pp. 131 - 145

https://doi.org/10.4467/20842627OZ.19.015.11972

Despite the growing interest in the sustainability of long-term care (LTC) systems, only a few studies have investigated the differences in the LTC financing across European countries. The objective of this paper is to describe the financing of LTC in Europe. For this purpose, we use indicators on LTC financing taken from international databases and reports. Desk research was carried out to identify relevant indicators. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to identify typologies in LTC financing across the EU/EEA countries based on seven indicators selected. We found large differences in LTC financing across the EU/EEA countries in terms of total expenditure, the division of expenditure between the social and health care system, and in the role of in-kind and cash benefits. Four main financial models across the EU/EEA countries could be distinguished. Further, we identified some shortages in data reporting on the financing of LTC services. Some limitations and contradictions related to the indicators of LTC financing are highlighted. In particular, we stress the need for more comprehensive data to enable further cross-country comparisons and to provide valid input for policy.

* Przygotowanie do wydania elektronicznego finansowane w ramach umowy 637/P-DUN/2019 ze środków Ministra Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego przeznaczonych na działalność upowszechniającą naukę.

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The short story of co-payments for health care services in Hungary – lessons for neighbouring countries

Petra Baji

Public Health and Governance, Volume 8, Issue 1, 2010, pp. 37 - 47

The introduction of co-payments for using health care services is a relatively new issue for most of the Central-Eastern European (CEE) countries. Some CEE countries, like Slovakia, Hungary and Czech Republic have similar experiences with the introduction of such co-payments. These fees were met with a cold reception by the population and also political resistance, which led to the abolishment of these payments in Slovakia as well as in Hungary.
Our paper focuses on the experiences of Hungary, where co-payments for health care services were introduced in February, 2007 and abolished one year later as a result of a population referendum. Hungarian experiences can serve as a lesson for policy makers from other CEE countries to develop sustainable patient payment policies.

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