The healthcare budget for 2026 was approved on Monday by the General Council of the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (INAMI). The budget includes an increase of 1.566 billion euros over the previous year, reflecting changes in the supply and...
Sweden’s autumn 2025 COVID-19 plan offers free shots only to those aged 75+ and vulnerable adults 18–74, excluding healthy 65–74-year-olds. Officials cite low cost-effectiveness and stronger immunity. Experts warn this could raise risks. Denmark and several EU states...
Since October 2022, the National Health Security Office has incorporated pharmacy services for 16 common conditions, including headache, dizziness, pain in joint, muscle pain, fever, cough, sore throat, stomachache, diarrhoea, constipation, dysuria, vaginal discharge,...
In this document published by the Inter-American Development Bank in 2023, the question of how to guarantee health for the populations of Latin America at a time of global crisis is addressed. The authors propose an approach where not only should health spending be...
This study used a discrete choice experiment in Switzerland to examine consumer preferences for value-based insurance design (VBID). Findings showed a strong status quo bias and resistance to higher cost-sharing or limiting low-value care, with preferences varying by...
The pursuit of universal health coverage (UHC) in the Asia and Pacific region has often overlooked the crucial aspect of patient safety, resulting in significant issues such as high rates of hospital-acquired infections and medication errors. This neglect not only...
This study investigates the willingness to pay (WTP) for one additional Quality-Adjusted Life Year (QALY) among the general population in Pakistan, highlighting the economic constraints in healthcare resource allocation. A survey revealed a mean WTP of 114,006.4...
The Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in China, initiated by WHO in 1974, has significantly reduced disease burden by vaccinating against eight pathogens, averting an estimated 703 million cases and 2.48 million deaths over 50 years. The program has also...
This study assessed a public insurance-based telemedicine system in rural Hungary, where 12 Mobile Healthcare Service Centers provided general and specialist care to over 21,000 residents, resulting in the diagnosis of new hypertension and diabetes cases and high...
The Canadian healthcare system, while publicly funded and perceived as free, involves significant wait times for medical services due to a mismatch between demand and supply, effectively rationing care. This inadequacy leads to substantial economic costs, estimated in...
ThinkWell Pakistan has recently published a series of insightful fact sheets exploring how public health facilities in Pakistan procure and finance essential medicines and health supplies (EMHS), along with the bottlenecks they face at each step of the process....
The Health Insurance Planner (HIP), introduced by Singapore's CPF Board and Ministry of Health, is a digital tool that helps citizens navigate and make informed decisions about their health insurance coverage by providing personalized insights into costs, benefits,...
The discovery of oil has enabled GCC countries to provide universal healthcare to their citizens, but rising healthcare demands pose challenges in financing these systems effectively. Experts in health economics from the Gulf Health Economics Association held a focus...
Bank Negara Malaysia is collaborating with the Ministry of Health and the Employees Provident Fund to develop basic health insurance and takaful products focused on value-based healthcare, aiming to reform the national health sector and manage rising medical...
A WHO-World Bank report highlights health budget execution challenges, revealing inefficiencies in spending. It calls for reforms to improve financial management and healthcare delivery for Universal Health Coverage. A new joint report by the World Health Organization...
