By Bob Herman
Becker’s Hospital Review, April 18, 2013
For the past several years, the United States has not been the only country to face a recession. Many parts of Europe have also undergone an economic crisis, especially Greece, and an article in today’s American Journal of Public Health said there are lessons to be learned from how Greece has handled its public healthcare over the past several years.
Since 2007, Greece has faced high rates of unemployment, little economic growth and higher risks of poverty, most of which have been mirrored in the United States to varying degrees. To curtail the fiscal spiral, the Greek government implemented several austerity measures, including massive cuts of government-sponsored health programs, which led to worsening layoffs and stagnant wages, according to the article.
Several authors ā including four Greek public health experts and Howard Waitzkin, MD, PhD, of the University of New Mexico ā compared the situation in Greece to what is occurring in the United States, as the country considers further cuts to Medicare, the largest health program in the country and the biggest payor for hospitals.
The authors found that after Greece made sweeping cuts to public health programs and services, suicide and homicide mortality rates increased by 22.7 percent and 27.6 percent, respectively. In addition, patients decreased use of private medical facilities, such as private outpatient clinics and hospitals, by 18.5 percent, while healthcare drastically increased at public hospitals and health centers.
As U.S. healthcare reform continues to focus on population health management, researchers said reducing the public safety net, which the United States is considering to do further, could be contradictory with that goal.
“Historical evidence suggests that in times of economic downturn, policies of cutbacks and privatization can further jeopardize populations’ health and health services,” the authors wrote. “On the other hand, sustained public spending or creative reorganization and expansion of public sector health services can protect populations’ health status.”
http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-administration/deteriorating-public-health-polices-what-greece-us-may-have-in-common.html