Health payments are pushing people into poverty, even rich countries

PROF DRRAM,HIV /AIDS,HEPATITIS ,SEX DISEASES & WEAKNESS expert,New Delhi,India, profdrram@gmail.com,+917838059592,+919832025033,ON WHATSAPP

Health Expenditure has increased day by day and often it is so much for Poor and middle class people that they become poor,nt only lower econmical class but even for rich people or developed countries it is so much that many cant afford it. A new WHO study shows evidence that health payments (paying for medicines and health services) are unaffordable for many people and cause financial hardship across the WHO European Region, including in high-income countries.

                    The estimates prepared with data from 25 countries show that up to 8% of households cannot afford to pay for basic needs – food, rent, utility bills – after paying out of pocket for health care. This situation goes against the Tallinn Charter, which was adopted by 53 Member States of the Region in 2008, and states: “It is unacceptable that people become poor as a result of ill health”.

                      Many middle- and high-income countries in the Region still rely heavily on individuals and families paying out of pocket for a large part of their health costs. In 2014, out-of-pocket payments accounted for 26% of total spending on health on average, with substantial variation (5–72%) across the Region.

            New evidence from WHO shows that out-of-pocket payments have the greatest impact on those least able to pay for health care: the poorest households, people with chronic illnesses and older people. The study also finds that financial hardship is frequently linked to having to pay for medicines, particularly for poorer people. … (WHO Europe, June 12, 2018)