Inequalities in Health and Health Care in Post-communist Europe

Abstract

With life expectancy in virtually all of the post-socialist accession countries much lower than the average for the previous EU15, health has assumed a critical economic and political significance in Europe. The achievement of greater health equality within and among European member countries has become a key policy aim.2 By emphasizing health and linking it to citizenship, the EU seeks to reconnect with its citizens, thereby enhancing the credibility of the EU. In this, the EU espouses the ‘new universalism’ which now informs the global discourse of health rights. This principle accepts a narrowing of the scope of health care to which universal rights will apply and is based on the argument that, if the needs of the vulnerable are met, limited universal health rights can be reconciled with equitable health care.3 The aspiration is that even if social rights to health care are limited, equity in care can still be achieved, among others through the promotion of social cohesion and active citizenship.KeywordsHealth InequalitySocial InequalityLiberal DemocracySteel PlantHealth Care ReformThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.