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

Chapter 1 | The impact of the crisis on the health system and health in Belgium
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Fig. 1.1 Relative share of spending by sector as a proportion of total social security
spending in Belgium, 1990–2010
40
35
30
25
20
%
15
10
5
0
1990 1992 1994
1996
1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010
Disability and invalidity
Health
Pensions
Occupational injuries and illnesses
Unemployment
Child allowances
Source: Federal Planning Bureau, 2014
Breakdown of spending by agent in 2007 and 2011
The breakdown of spending on health into public and private components
is shown in Fig. 1.2. 7 Part of the increase in spending by social security
(compulsory health insurance) between 2007 and 2011 was the result
of the integration of the so-called small health risks of the self-employed
(e.g. ambulatory care, pharmaceuticals for outpatient care, home care and
dental care) into the compulsory system. Supplementary payments are
charges in excess of some amount (e.g. the cost of prescription drugs in excess
of a reference price) and health care services not covered by compulsory
health insurance. These supplementary payments are paid by patients on top
of official co-payments. The share of both supplementary payments and copayments
decreased between 2007 and 2011 (from 16.97 to 15.55% and
from 4.5 to 4.2%, respectively), which is a striking result in a period of crisis.
Compared with other countries, the share of PHI as a proportion of total
health spending is low in Belgium.
7 Spending by local governments and companies is not included in total health spending (equalling 0.2% of total
spending in 2011).