The Health Spending Observatory aims to provide ongoing analysis of health expenditure trends in Portugal. This publication examines the evolution of out-of-pocket health expenditures between 2015 and 2022, drawing on data from the Household Budget Survey conducted by the National Statistics Institute.
During the period under review, a broad set of public policies contributed to strengthening financial protection for the population, leading to a decrease in the average share of out-of-pocket health expenditures in individuals’ net income — from 5.56% in 2015 to 3.46% in 2022.
Older adults (65+) were the group that benefited most from these measures. However, children aged 5 to 14 experienced a worsening of their financial vulnerability. Despite the progress achieved, a socioeconomic gradient in exposure to financial hardship remains: individuals with lower incomes continue to allocate a higher share of their net income to out-of-pocket health spending. If the goal is to further reduce the regressivity of direct payments, it is essential to maintain and strengthen policies that protect vulnerable socioeconomic groups — not limited to the elderly.
You can now download the report in Portuguese here
This report is part of the Social Equity Initiative , a partnership between Fundación "la Caixa" , BancoBPI, and Nova School of Business and Economics.
Author of the study: Carolina Santos
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