Web-economic-crisis-health-systems-and-health-web

Hungary
Csaba Dózsa and Szabolcs Szigeti
Economic trends
• Real per capita GDP declined slightly in 2009; since then Hungary's
economic growth has been below the European mean.
• Unemployment rates have been slightly above the European mean from
2008 to 2011.
• Ten-year bond rates are high relative to other European countries.
• Government health spending as a share of the total budget has remained
constant. Per capita expenditure growth for public and private sources has
been positive throughout the 2008 to 2011 period (Hungary: Figs 1 and 2).
Policy responses
Changes to public funding for the health system
• The new government announced it would increase public spending on health
(2010) but the centrally set SHI budget did not change much nominally
between 2008 and 2012, resulting in a decline in real terms.
• SHI contributions paid by employers were reduced from 5% to 2%
between 2008 and 2011 and to compensate SHI, government transfers
on behalf of non-contributing persons increased from HUF 4500 to
HUF 9300 per person, falling to HUF 5850 in 2012.
• Tax transfers as a share of the SHI budget rose in 2009 and exceeded 50%
for the first time in 2010, before reaching an estimated 60% in 2011 and
remaining above an estimated 50% in 2012.
• The itemized health contribution (a tax of HUF 1950 per month per
employee paid by employers) was abolished (2010).
• A new tax earmarked for health was levied on food products high in salt,
sugar or carbohydrates (2011).
• The employer social security contribution (which includes the SHI
contribution) was renamed “social contribution tax” (2012).
• To compensate SHI for reduced revenues, the employee contribution rate
was increased by one percentage point and the base for the proportional
health care tax levied on non-wage-related income was broadened (2011).