On 24 April 2012, the "Royal Decree-Law 16/2012, of 20 April, on urgent measures to guarantee the sustainability of the National Health System and improve the quality and safety of its services" was published in the Official State Gazette (BOE). This was the instrument chosen by the Spanish government to address the serious difficulties facing the system (lack of coordination between regional health services, lack of cohesion and territorial equity, sustainability, etc.), all within a framework of controversy and debate on the part of the different groups involved.
The health care and pharmaceutical models in different countries and, in particular, in the European Union show clear differences. Spain, along with Denmark and the United Kingdom, is the country in which citizens pay the least for medical services and care, with co-payment only for drugs, not for other care services. On the other hand, setting co-payment on the basis of income creates many uncertainties, especially in the case of pensioners; it may moderate the stockpiling of drugs, but it may also make their consumption more difficult. These and other aspects have already been taken up in 2010 by the "World Health Organisation" in the report "The World health report: health systems financing.The World health report: health systems financing: the path to universal coverage"which highlighted how systems that require out-of-pocket payments at the point of care prevent millions of individuals from accessing services.
It is of interest to analyse the problem of health co-payment not only from a healthcare or economic point of view, but also in relation to the consumption of drugs and its consequences: disorders derived from the modification of treatments/medication, problems of addiction to certain products, or simple polymedication or polypharmacy, which is so common in the elderly.
Bibliography
O copago sanitario
O copago frente ó uso de servicios sanitarios
Impacto do copago sanitario na medicación
Impacto do copago sanitario en distintos tratamentos
Influencia do copago sanitariona adicción a medicamentos
Como inflúe o copago sanitario no cuidado ambulatorio
Modelos de copago sanitario no mundo
Copago sanitario e equidade
O coste do copago sanitario
O copago sanitario en Galicia
¿Como pode afectar o copago sanitario á muller?
Web 2.0
Blogs nos que se tratan distintos aspectos sobre o copago sanitario: Medicina en Atención Primaria, Hemos Leído, Píldoras, MedBook, Salud y Medicina, Pediatría basada en pruebas, A tu salud, Medicos y Pacientes, Medicina y Melodía.
Twitter: tweets máis relevantes sobre copago.
Canles RSS: copago en rtve.es (selección de tags), copago sanitario (seleccion de noticias de El País).
Youtube: selección de videos.
Videoblog: ¿Es realmente necesario el copago sanitario? (cadena SER)
Multimedia: VÍDEOS e AUDIOS de TVE y radio 5, así como da TVG. Tamén se inclúen outros AUDIOS de emisoras de radio: GAG el copago sanitario (cadena SER, 19-04-12): El copago en Europa (cadena SER, 11-04-12), Debate sobre el copago ¿o repago? (cadena SER, 17-03-12), Los médicos en COPE: tenemos un problema de consumo de medicamentos (18-04-12), Los farmacéuticos comunitarios en COPE: el copago es similar al que existe en Europa (18-04-12), El copago sanitario a debate (Onda Cero, 15-03-12).
Prensa: RESUMES de novas publicadas en El País.
Televisión: RESUME de novas de TVE.
Webs e prensa especializada nas que se recollen OPINIÓNS sobre o tema: Revista Médica, Redacción Médica, El Médico Interactivo, Diario Salud, OCU (Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios), Gestión Sanitaria, ASPA (Asociación Andaluza por la Solidaridad y la Paz), REDSTATE. Prensa: Diario Médico y El Global.