COVID-19: A turning point for upward convergence in health and healthcare in the EU? | European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions

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Authors

Anamaria Maftei

Jens Carstens

Massimiliano Mascherini

Abstract

The impact of COVID-19 has moved public health up the EU social policy agenda. As the EU directs its efforts towards establishing a European Health Union to guard against future health crises, this policy brief examines the extent to which the EU achieved upward convergence in terms of health and healthcare outcomes, as well as health expenditures and delivery, prior to the pandemic. It also examines convergence patterns in infections and deaths from COVID-19 and in the mitigating measures adopted by the EU and national governments.
The findings indicate that, from 2008 to 2019, the health of EU citizens improved overall, and Member States converged in health outcomes, but disparities in government expenditures and delivery of health services continued to widen. Against this background, the COVID-19 pandemic caused further divergence, with death and infection tolls varying greatly across countries. The policy brief stresses that a European Health Union would ideally not only reinforce the crisis preparedness of the EU but also ultimately enable convergence in health and healthcare indicators across its Member States.

COVID-19: A turning point for upward convergence in health and healthcare in the EU?

English (1.45 MB - PDF)

Key findings

From 2008–2019, health outcomes in the EU improved as Member States with modest health expenditures expanded their healthcare spending. By 2019, this enabled these countries (mainly the central and eastern European Member States) to catch up with the top EU spenders.

Although the number of practising doctors and nurses grew steadily in the EU between 2008 and 2019, medical staff shortages persisted. The gap between countries widened partly due to the migration of healthcare professionals, and countries with existing labour shortages in healthcare saw their situation deteriorate further, hindering their ability to catch up with the rest of the EU.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected countries differently, leading to huge disparities in the number of infections and deaths. The mitigation strategies adopted by Member States varied in intensity and time frame, highlighting the importance of a coordinated EU exit strategy to achieve faster progress in controlling a pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed structural inequalities in healthcare capacity across Member States. To ensure no-one is left behind in the aftermath of the crisis, translating the healthcare principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights into a reality by increasing healthcare capacity and coverage will be critical.

The COVID-19 pandemic underlined how the EU lacked the tools to manage a severe health crisis. Greater coordination and reporting in the area of health as part of a European Health Union would reinforce the crisis preparedness of the EU. The conference on the Future of Europe is an important opportunity for citizens to have their say on Europe’s health priorities for the future.

The policy brief contains the following lists of tables and figures.

List of tables

Table 1: Determinants of annual growth in health indicators, EU27, 2008–2019
Table 2: Determinants of annual growth in health expenditures per capita, EU27, 2008–2019

List of figures

Figure 1: Convergence in life expectancy at birth, 2008–2019
Figure 2: Convergence in self-perceived health, 2008–2019
Figure 3: Convergence in infant mortality rate, 2008–2019
Figure 4: Convergence in unmet needs for medical examination and care, 2008–2019
Figure 5: Impact of GDP per capita (in euro) on health indicators, EU27, 2008–2019
Figure 6: Convergence in government expenditures on health, 2008–2019
Figure 7: Convergence in the supply of physicians, 2008–2016
Figure 8: Convergence in the supply of nurses and midwives, 2008–2016
Figure 9: Convergence in hospital bed capacity, 2008–2018
Figure 10: Convergence in life expectancy at birth, 2019–2020
Figure 11: COVID-19 – new cases and deaths per million, EU27, January 2020–11 August 2021
Figure 12: COVID-19 – New cases and deaths per million by Member State, January 2020 – 11 August 2021
Figure 13: COVID-19 – convergence in Stringency Index, January 2020–1 August 2021
Figure 14: COVID-19 – new daily vaccinations, 28 December 2020–10 August 2021
Figure 15: COVID-19 – total vaccines administered by GDP per capita (in euro), EU27, 30 May and 10 August 2021
Figure 16: COVID-19 – new daily vaccinations in the EU27, United States and OECD, 13 January 2021–10 August 2021

Number of pages: 32

Reference nº: EF20026

ISBN: 978-92-897-2195-0

Catalogue nº: TJ-AR-21-004-EN-N

DOI: 10.2806/166598

Permalink: eurofound.link/ef20026

Cite this publication
Eurofound (2021), COVID-19: A turning point for upward convergence in health and healthcare in the EU? Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg.