The OECD Joint Network of Senior Budget and Health Officials

Given the challenges faced by health systems, an effective dialogue across government agencies responsible for health outcomes is critical. To help facilitate this dialogue, the OECD Joint Network of Senior Budget and Health Officials brings together people from ministries of finance, health and social security agencies.

Over the years, the Network has provided an effective space for government officials to openly discuss challenges and solutions to the fiscal sustainability of health systems. Since 2015, this Network has expanded beyond OECD member countries, in partnership with the World Health Organization, The Global Fund and other international institutions. Regional networks exist in Asia, Central Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Read our Brochure to learn more about our work

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THE FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGE FOR HEALTH

Projected health expenditure as a share of government expenditure, OECD average by scenario

Projected-health-expenditure-OECD-average-by-scenario

Source: OECD Health Division projections, 2019.‌

Health expenditure has typically outpaced economic growth, with the latest OECD modelling projecting total health expenditure to reach over 11% of GDP by 2040, up from 9% in 2017. To fund this increase, OECD countries would need to dedicate 19% of public budgets to health, on average, by 2040.

Budget and health officials face the shared challenge of improving efficiency and effectiveness, and controlling growth in health spending, without compromising important achievements in access and quality.

Projected health expenditure to 2040 under different scenarios:

‒ base policy scenario: policies remain similar to how they are today

‒ cost control: effective cost containment policies that offset health spending drivers

‒ cost pressure: less effective cost containment policies are combined with rising public expectations on health care services and the introduction of expensive new technologies

Learn more on our work on Health expenditure.

WHAT’S NEW

OECD Health Financing Diagnostic

The OECD Health Financing Diagnostic provides a rapid assessment of the sustainability and resilience of health financing policies in light of COVID-19 and other possible future system shocks. The diagnostic includes key health financing pillars of resource mobilisation, budgetary governance, and resource allocation decisions in the health sector. Using information from the diagnostic, the OECD will map countries to international best practices in health financing, helping governments identify where to focus their reform efforts.

The presentation of the OECD Health Financing Diagnostic will take place at the 3rd Edition of the Paris Peace Forum 2020. More information on the forum at https://parispeaceforum.org/.

OECD Journal on Budgeting – Special Issue on Health

The OECD Journal on Budgeting provides insights on leading-edge institutional arrangements, systems and instruments for the allocation and management of resources in the public sector. This special issue on health consists of seven articles, including:

Budgeting practices to improve health system performance in the Latin America and Caribbean region
Decentralisation in the health sector and responsibilities across levels of government
Measuring the productivity of the health care system; the experience of the United Kingdom

Read the OECD Journal on Budgeting: Special Issue on Health, Volume 19, Issue 3

FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY TOPIC PRIMERS

MEETINGS OF the Joint Network

The meetings of the OECD Joint Network on Fiscal Sustainability of Health Systems provide a valuable space for health and finance officials to increase their understanding of policy responses at the intersection of health policy and public finance. The Joint Network holds annual meetings for OECD member countries in Paris and regional network meetings for members and non-members. The regional meetings are held in partnership with The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the World Health Organization.

OECD member countries network:

Budgetary and Health System Actions to Combat COVID-19: Implications for Upcoming Budgets, Virtual Webinar, 17 September, 2020
8th meeting, Paris, 10-11 February 2020
7th meeting, Paris, 14-15 February 2019 - read the Synthesis note
6th meeting, Paris, 18-19 September 2017
5th meeting, Paris, 4-5 February 2016
4th meeting, Paris, 16-17 February 2015
3rd meeting, Paris, 24-25 April 2014
2nd meeting, Paris, 25-26 March 2013
1st meeting, Paris, 21-22 November 2011

Regional networks:

3rd Meeting for Central, Eastern and South Eastern European countries, Vilnius, Lithuania, 25-26 April 2019 – read the Synthesis note
2nd Meeting for Latin America and Caribbean countries, San Jose, Costa Rica, 30-31 January 2019 – read the Synthesis note
1st Meeting for Asian countries, Tokyo, Japan 15-16 May 2017 - read the Synthesis note
2nd Meeting for Central, Eastern and South Eastern European countries, Tallinn, Estonia, 1-2 December 2016 - read the Synthesis note
1st Meeting for Latin America and Caribbean countries, Bogotá, Colombia, 7-8 July 2016 - read the Synthesis note

KEY OUTPUTS AND PUBLICATIONS

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Fiscal Sustainability of Health Systems - Bridging Health and Finance Perspectives (2015)
Budgeting practices for health dataset – OECD countries (non-OECD survey results forthcoming)

Country case studies on health financing and budgeting practices for health:

Financing and budgeting practices for health in Peru (April 2018)
Health financing and budgeting practices for health in South Africa (September 2018)