Health at a Glance 2015
OECD Indicators
This new edition of Health at a Glance presents the most recent comparable data on the performance of health systems in OECD countries. Where possible, it also reports data for partner countries (Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Indonesia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russian Federation and South Africa). Compared with the previous edition, this new edition includes a new set of dashboards of health indicators to summarise in a clear and user-friendly way the relative strengths and weaknesses of OECD countries on different key indicators of health and health system performance, and also a special focus on the pharmaceutical sector. This edition also contains new indicators on health workforce migration and on the quality of health care.
Financing of pharmaceutical expenditure
In all OECD countries, pharmaceuticals are financed by a mix of public and private spending. Tax-funded schemes or social health insurance cover a significant amount of prescribed pharmaceuticals in most countries, sometimes complemented by private health insurance. Patients typically have to cover some part of the cost of prescription drugs themselves, although exemptions often exist for vulnerable segments of the population such as children, the elderly and patients suffering from certain chronic illnesses. Over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceuticals are normally financed entirely by private households.
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