Health Politics in Hungary and Romania

The Public Health Research Group and the Center for Policy Studies

 invite you to a presentation

 Health Politics in Hungary and Romania

 Alexandru Moise, CEU (PolSci)
Corvinus University of Budapest, Maastricht University

More than 24 years after transition, the health care systems of Romania and Hungary are far from stable. Recurring budget crises and the continuing conflict between policy makers, health care workers and citizens, has resulted in a high degree of policy instability and even reversal in both Hungary and Romania.

Despite starting from similar legacies and challenges, the two countries had very different timelines in adopting reforms. Moreover, while they both initially set out to build social insurance models, reforms in Romania are increasingly targeting privatization policies while Hungary experienced policy reversal, when the state retook control of hospitals.

These puzzles are answered by looking at the success of policy proposals. Political (in)stability and the presence of physicians in the decision-making process appear to be the two most important factors in explaining the timing and direction of reforms.