W6 Workshop
Organised by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the International Forum Gastein
Supported by the Main Association of Social Security Institutions of Austria, the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance of Belgium, the National Health Insurance Fund for Salaried Workers of France, the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds of Germany and the Celsus, academy for sustainable healthcare in the Netherlands
European integration and statutory social protection have both developed and matured in the aftermath of the Second World War. For a long time interaction between both processes was limited to the bare minimum.
As one of the prime areas of subsidiarity, healthcare delivery and funding were considered core and exclusive competences of the Member States. Even if this is still the case today, the dividing wall is becoming more permeable. The mutual impact – even if mostly being indirect – is ever more clear and acknowledged. As also reflected in the recent Communication on effective, accessible and resilient health systems the EU agenda for health systems is confined not only to cross-border aspects such as social security coordination, the Cross-Border Care Directive or related aspects. The overall need to improve the efficiency and financial sustainability of health systems has been repeatedly stressed, including in the 2014 Annual Growth Survey.
Whereas statutory health insurers as healthcare payers play an important role in ensuring, improving and modernizing accessibility, quality and efficiency of health systems in Europe, their voice is perhaps less clearly heard in the EU arena. This panel session will be an occasion to learn how statutory health insurers look at EU integration and what their expectations and concerns are in that respect. More specifically, the session will explore what is the vision of the SHI stakeholders as to the future priorities for social health insurance and to what extent this is reflected in all EU policies.
Key trends in European statutory health insurance systems
Ewout van Ginneken, WHO Collaborating Centre for Health Systems Research and Management, Berlin University of Technology, Germany and European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies
The EU policy agenda for social (health) insurance
Franz Terwey, Director, European Social Insurance Platform (ESIP)
Panel discussion with statutory health insurance leaders
Josef Probst, Director General, Main Association of Austrian Social Insurance Institutions, Austria
Jo De Cock, General Administrator, National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance, Belgium
Dominique Polton, Advisor to the Director General, National Health Insurance Fund for Salaried Workers (CNAMTS), France
Doris Pfeiffer, President of the Board, National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds, Germany
Patrick Jeurissen, Chief Strategy and Knowledge Management Group, Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports, the Netherlands
Gintaras Kacevicius, Director, Health Insurance Department, National Health Insurance Fund of Lithuania, Lithuania
Dijana Cimera, Assistant Minister, Ministry of Health, Croatia
Facilitation
Willy Palm, Dissemination Development Officer, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies