Health spending down in a third of OECD nations, as governments cut budgets

Total health spending has fallen in one of three Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries between 2009 and 2011, with those hardest hit by the crisis most affected. This is a sharp reversal from the strong growth in the years prior to the crisis, according to a new OECD report.

Titled Health at a Glance 2013, the report says that this makes it all the more important that countries make their health care systems more productive, efficient and affordable. Spending per capita fell in 11 of 33 OECD countries between 2009 and 2011, notably by 11.1% in Greece and 6.6% in Ireland. Growth also slowed significantly in others, including Canada (0.8%) and the USA (1.3%).

Only Israel and Japan saw the rate of health spending growth accelerate since 2009 compared with the previous decade. Health spending in Korea has continued to grow at more than 6% per year since 2009 but more slowly than in previous years.