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

Norway
Anne Karin Lindahl and Jon Magnussen
Economic trends
• Norway's real per capita GDP contracted in 2009, but returned to
growth above the European mean the following year. Norway had budget
surpluses throughout the 2008 to 2011 period.
• The unemployment rate remains low.
• Ten-year bond rates have declined and were among the lowest in Europe
during the crisis.
• Norway's health spending as a share of government expenditure has
been stable since 2008. In 2010, there was a decline in per capita OOP
expenditure by 5.5% (Norway: Figs 1 and 2).
Policy responses
Changes to public funding for the health system
• The health budget increased as a result of substantial oil revenues and high
employment rates; however, growth in total and public spending on health has
declined and there was a small reduction in aggregate real spending between
2009 and 2011, which cannot be directly linked to the crisis.
• Municipal budgets were increased to compensate them for higher hospital
costs (financed mainly by cuts in hospital budgets).
Changes to health coverage
Population (entitlement)
• No response reported.
The benefits package
• No response reported.
User charges
• No response reported.
Changes to health service planning, purchasing and delivery
Prices of medical goods
• No response reported.