In view of increasing cost pressures, this paper aims to provide guidance to national EU policy-makers faced with the challenge of reconciling financial sustainability of health systems with the safeguarding of the key underlying values of these health systems; namely universal coverage,...

"A disproportionate impact on health system performance Private health insurance makes a small contribution to spending on health in most countries around the world, but its effect on health system performance can be surprisingly large owing to market failures and weaknesses in public policy....