Health Policy

The aim of our work on health policy is to carry out cross-national studies of the performance of OECD health systems and to facilitate exchanges between member countries of their experiences of financing, delivering, and managing health services.

Bookmark this page: http://www.oecd.org/els/health/policy.

What's new

Internet update for OECD Health Data 2009 available now

05-Nov-2009

The Internet update for OECD Health Data 2009 has just been released. Go to the OECD Health Data Update page to download the file and access data updates, along with a fully revised hypertext for Definitions, Sources and Methods.OECD Health Data Updates: Data, Sources and Methods, and Software Updates.

Tracking the growth in Medical Tourism: OECD helps Ministers shape the debate

27-Oct-2009

International trade in health services has been attracting increasing attention from health analysts, public health policy makers, and trade and tourism promotion agencies but with relatively little data to inform them. This statement was made by David Morgan of the Health Division at a roundtable meeting of ministers of health and tourism at the Medical Tourism and Global Health Congress, Los Angeles, October 26th-28th, 2009.

Why does the United States spend so much more on health than other countries?

09-Oct-2009

The United States spent 16% of its national income (GDP) on health in 2007, which is by far, the highest share in the OECD and more than seven percentage points higher than the average of 8.9% in OECD countries. This presentation was given by Mark Pearson, Head of OECD Health Division, to the U.S Senate Special Committee on Aging.

Health: Improving Policy Coherence for Development (Policy Brief)

07-Oct-2009

The cost of treating disease is vastly greater than the cost of controlling
or preventing disease. In a time of global recession, the disparity in health
outcomes between developed and developing countries will most likely
widen. The rapid expansion in trade, foreign investment and international
travel mean that infectious diseases can have adverse effects not only on
health but also on economic growth and security.

Improving the performance of the public health care system in Greece

23-Sep-2009

Greek health outcomes compare favourably with the OECD average. However, the health care system is seen as not working well by the population. One source of dissatisfaction is the high proportion of private household spending on health, including informal payments, while public health spending relative to GDP is one of the lowest in the OECD.

Health Update No. 7 now available

10-Jul-2009

Issue 7 of Health Update looks at the question of health spending in the current economic crisis. It also features other key health-related projects throughout the OECD (including information and communication technology, healthy ageing, obesity and long term care) and the recent release of OECD Health Data 2009.

OECD Health Data 2009 – comparing health statistics across OECD countries

01-Jul-2009

The number of doctors per capita increased 2% per year on average across OECD countries between 1990 and 2007, but in some countries the trend is reversing. These are some of the findings from OECD Health Data 2009, the most comprehensive source of comparable statistics on health and health systems across the 30 OECD countries.

Education reduces probability of obesity

19-Jun-2009

OECD Health Working Paper No. 46 presents the findings of health survey data from Australia, Canada, England and Korea. It shows that education appears to be associated with a lower likelihood of obesity, especially among women. This is determined by at least three factors: greater access to and handling of health-related information; clearer perception of the risks associated with lifestyle choices; and improved self-control and consistency of preferences over time. The higher a person’s education relative to his or her peers’, the lower the probability of that person being obese.

Obesity: analysis of trends in selected OECD countries

24-Mar-2009

OECD Health Working Paper No. 45 provides an overview of past and projected future trends in adult overweight and obesity in selected OECD countries. Using individual-level data from repeated cross-sectional national surveys, some of the main determinants and pathways underlying the current obesity epidemic are explored, and possible policy levers for tackling the negative health effect of these trends are identified.

Long-term care workforce: overview

19-Mar-2009

In the context of ageing societies, the importance of long-term care (LTC) is growing in all OECD countries. OECD Health Working Paper No. 44 offers an overview of the LTC workforce and reviews country responses to a growing demand for LTC workers.

Health status and access to care: measuring disparities

11-Mar-2009

OECD Health Working Paper No. 43 assesses the availability and comparability of selected indicators of inequality in health status and in health care access and use across OECD countries, with a focus on disparities among socioeconomic groups.

Joint OECD-World Bank Reviews of Health Systems - Turkey

24-Feb-2009

This comprehensive review of Turkey's health care system shows that health status has improved rapidly in Turkey in recent decades, partly as a result of higher health spending.

Healthy ageing policies in OECD member countries

20-Feb-2009

OECD Health Working Paper No. 42 reviews policies in the area of healthy ageing. The paper begins by defining healthy ageing and related concepts such as active ageing. It then groups healthy ageing policies under four basic types and describes their programmes for improving the health status of older people.

Asian Policy Centre - health and social policy

04-Feb-2009

The Joint OECD/Korea Policy Centre opened its doors in July 2008. It aims to develop data capacity in co-operation with individual country experts and international partners, and organises seminars, conferences and workshops to foster the exchange of technical information and policy experiences in sectors like health statistics, pension reforms and social expenditure.

Internet update for OECD Health Data 2008 available now

18-Dec-2008

The Internet update for OECD Health Data 2008 has just been released. Go to the OECD Health Data Update page to download the file and access data updates, along with a fully revised hypertext for Definitions, Sources and Methods.

Sixth issue of Health Update

16-Dec-2008

This issue highlights the new report Pharmaceutical Pricing Policies in a Global Market, as well as the WHO-OECD Dialogue on Migration and the Health Workforce, addressing pressures on long-term care systems, health and the environment, mental health and the workplace, and other key health-related projects throughout the OECD.

International Mobility of Health Professionals and Health Workforce Management in Canada: Myths and Realities

29-Oct-2008

This report (Health Working Paper No. 40) examines the role played by immigrant health workers in the Canadian health workforce as well as the interactions between migration policies and education and health workforce management policies.

Pharmaceutical Pricing and Reimbursement Policies in Germany

29-Oct-2008

This paper (Health Working Paper No. 39) describes pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement policies in Germany, considering them in the broader environment in which they operate, and assesses their impact on the achievement of a number of policy goals.

Migration of Health Workers: The UK Perspective to 2006

29-Oct-2008

This paper (Health Working Paper No. 38) describes the migration of health workers to the U.K. until 2006 and potential future health expenditure.

The Looming Crisis in the Health Workforce

22-Oct-2008

OECD countries face a challenge in responding to the growing demand for doctors and nurses over the next 20 years and should adopt a comprehensive approach to health human resources, reinforce international cooperation and better monitor health workforce policies and migration.

OECD Health Policy Studies: Pharmaceutical Pricing Policies in a Global Market

18-Sep-2008

Pharmaceutical pricing policies are designed with national objectives in mind, but are the transnational implications always taken into account? This report assesses how pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement policies have contributed to the achievement of certain health policy objectives.

Growth in health spending slows in many OECD countries, according to OECD Health Data 2008

26-Jun-2008

A combination of slower growth in spending on healthcare and expanding economies has led to a stabilisation of health spending as a proportion of GDP in many OECD countries, according to OECD Health Data 2008.

See more news and events… Top of page

The looming crisis in the health workforce

Health Workforce and Migration Project

Policy Briefs