Disparities in Healthcare Financing: A Comparative Analysis of Croatia and Selected Central and Eastern European Countries

Abstract

The past few decades have been marked by a substantial increase in health spending in Central and Eastern European countries. At the same time, healthcare systems have experienced significant changes, as a consequence of economic and political transformation processes that these countries have undergone after the fall of communism. The aim of this paper was to briefly present current situation and trends in healthcare financing in Central and Eastern European countries. Our approach is based on an analysis of a num-ber of healthcare expenditures indicators which are connected to healthcare spending patterns in each of these countries. Comparative research of these countries aims to demonstrate a degree of similarities or variations in the structure and finances in health systems. According to results, public involve-ment in health financing is still dominant in the majority of countries, but it has recorded a downward trend. On the other hand, private spending has been increasing mostly due to increase in out-of-pocket payments.