Private equity (PE) firms play a significant role in the financialisation of healthcare systems, yet research has largely overlooked their direct involvement, especially outside the U.S. This study investigates the drivers behind PE investments in Ireland’s long-term...

Healthcare financing in Singapore: Interview with DPM Gan and Health Minister Ong
Singapore’s healthcare system balances government subsidies, individual savings, and insurance to ensure affordability and discourage overuse, rather than offering free healthcare funded entirely by taxpayers. Rising costs prompt ongoing efforts to expand capacity,...

How Japan could shape the future of the NHS
To help deal with its ageing population, Japan offers super bespoke health programmes for individual citizens, which aim to do a better job at predicting and preventing illnesses and make emergency care less necessary.The Health Secretary is taking a bold step forward...
Consumer choice and control within a highly regulated, market-based system in Australia
Australia’s long-term care system operates within a tightly regulated, market-based framework that emphasises consumer choice and control. In this country report, published by the WHO Centre for Health Development, authors Sarah Wise, Michael Woods, and Kees van Gool...

How Japan is building a resilient society through equitable healthcare
Japan's universal health insurance system, established in 1961, ensures equitable access to healthcare for all citizens, particularly as the country grapples with an aging population and rising healthcare costs. Recent policy updates aim to enhance efficiency and...
Overcoming coordination challenges between health and social services in the Republic of Korea
This policy brief, published by the WHO Centre for Health Development, explores the Republic of Korea’s long-term care (LTC) insurance system and the coordination challenges it faces between health and social services. Authored by Professor Soonman Kwon of Seoul...

Scotland faces ‘significant challenges’ in funding future health care, warns fiscal watchdog
Scotland faces a £1bn yearly funding gap as health costs rise with an ageing, unhealthy population, warns fiscal body. Without improved public health, taxes may rise or services face cuts. The Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) has issued a stark warning about the...

European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies report on investing in long-term care
'The Care Dividend' urges public investment in long-term care, showing its benefits for health, economies, and households as populations age. Published by the Observatory and Cambridge University Press. A book published by the European Observatory on Health Systems...
The care dividend: Why and how countries should invest in long-term care
Published by the World Health Organization’s European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and released by Cambridge University Press, The Care Dividend: Why and How Countries Should Invest in Long-Term Care presents a timely and evidence-based argument for...

Why So Many Cambodians Travel Abroad For Medical Care
The author highlights the challenges and misdiagnoses faced in the Cambodian healthcare system that push many to seek medical treatment abroad. It underscores the rising trend of medical tourism due to inadequate domestic options, the financial burden of healthcare,...
Forecasting total and cause-specific health expenditures for 116 health conditions in Norway, 2022–2050
This study forecasts an increase in Norway's health spending from 10.6% of GDP in 2022 to 14.3% by 2050, driven primarily by population growth, aging, and rising costs per case. While the overall expenditure growth is inevitable, improving resource allocation and...

Malaysia’s healthcare system a ticking bomb
Malaysia's healthcare system is facing significant challenges due to a growing non-communicable disease epidemic, an ageing population, chronic underfunding, and a demoralised workforce, all of which threaten the quality and accessibility of care. Malaysia's...

Webinar: How does population ageing affect health system financial sustainability and affordable access to health care?
The WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing is hosting a webinar on 19 March 2025, from 10:00 to 11:30 CET, to explore how population ageing affects health system financial sustainability.The WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing is hosting a...
Projected costs of long-term care for older people in England: The impacts of housing quality improvements
Good quality housing is crucial for public health, yet its economic implications for long-term care have not been extensively studied. This research analyzes how housing improvements can affect future long-term care costs in England, utilizing data from the English...
Long-Term care in ageing populations
Sarah L. Barber, Paul Ong, and Zee A. Han explore the complexities of long-term care (LTC) in ageing populations in their latest contribution to the Handbook of Global Health, published online by Springer on February 5, 2025. This chapter examines the evolving...