Finding value: a new fiscal perspective on treatment

The Ministry of Finance anticipates that healthcare spending as a share of GDP will rise over the long term and that financing will have to adapt to demographics. The new methodology does not replace current approaches, but complements them with the ability to quantify the impacts of diseases and medicines on the social system, productivity, and tax revenues. For large patient groups (e.g., allergies and asthma or vaccination) it can show the return on investment; local data are crucial. Even today we see that, alongside direct healthcare expenditures, indirect costs and lost government revenues are also significant.

Connecting systems: data, incentives, and next steps

A data bridge between healthcare and the social system is essential: exchanges between the NCZI, health insurers, and the Social Insurance Agency must be standardized and grounded in law. Electronic sick leave already helps, but a weak point is long-term care, which straddles two worlds. A clear healthcare strategy with data sharing and a more unified approach to long-term care should be the first milestone.

Incentives are just as important: if post-stroke follow-up care reduces future social costs, the system should be able to reward such an outcome (e.g., in the form of a “success fee” or pilot health impact bonds). Such pilots require accessible and connected data for ongoing evaluation. Finally, we also need an open public debate: healthcare should support not only productivity, but also quality and satisfaction with life – and adapt financing accordingly.