Financial protection in health in Russia

Abstract: 
The work is devoted to the analysis of the financial protection of households when using medical services in Russia. Among the key indicators that determine the level of protection of families from financial burdens when using health-related services, the following were selected: out-of-pocket spending on health care, catastrophic personal payments and wasteful payments that lead to family impoverishment, and index of essential health services. Analysis of financial protection in Russia based on these indicators led to the following conclusions. The indicators of financial protection in Russia look quite satisfactory — both in terms of catastrophic spending and in terms of the indicator of impoverishment of the population due to personal expenses for medical care. However, this is due not so much to financial security and government support of the population, but to the fact that a large number of households cannot afford to spend money on medical services. The low index of essential health services in our country indicates that a significant number of people do not use medical care, even when it is needed.

For citation: Panova L.V., Kupriyanov L.A. Financial protection in health in Russia. St. Petersburg Sociology Today. 2021. N. 15. P. 5-19. DOI:10.25990/socinstras.pss-15.yjeh-nn48

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