Carlos Rus and Luis Mendicutipresident and secretary general of Association of Private Health Employers (ASPE)respectively, presented the eight conclusions of the II Report from the Association of Private Health Employersin addition to quantifying its contribution to the health system, which represents 48% of the country’s total health expenditure until 63 billion euros.
Among other data from the analysis, the increase in high complexity activities was noted with increases in each diagnostic test, compared to those who accuse private health care of serving only low complexity; historical record number of people employed since there are records; positioning and market shares of the health and insurance sectors and cost comparison between private and public health care.
Thus, the private sector represents almost 50% of the management of health activity expenditure in Spain (public and private), as indicated in the II Report. ASPE: Analysis of Spanish private health 2024presented today by ASPE compared to the latest accessible data for 2022. The total expenditure was 63,617 million euros, 48.2% of the totalincluding the activity of hospitals, medical and residential establishments, outpatient care providers, suppliers of medical products, provision of public health programs, general health administration and health insurance and others branches. Public health, for its part, covered an expenditure of 68.367 million euros (the country’s total health expenditure amounted to 131.984 million).
If we analyze the weight of each provider in expenditure managed by the private sector (€63,617 million), among the main activities, the hospitals served 20% of total private health spending (12,824 million euros), medical and care establishments 6.5% (4,132 million euros), outpatient care 26% (16,477 million) and retailers and suppliers of medical products 43.8% (27,879 million euros).
For their part, expenditure financed exclusively by the private sector (direct payments from households and health insurance funds) amounts to 37.289 million euros, or 28% of the country’s total health expenditure (public and private). and represent 3.1% of GDP. . In this item, household payments represent 73% and health insurance payments 24%.
Concerning the healthcare sector, including hospitals, clinics, laboratories, residences and outpatient care, The sector’s activity figure amounts to 33.433 million euroswhich involves more than half (52.5%) of private management of total health expenditure.
Shorter waiting times
70% of patients who consult in the private sector wait less than 15 days between two prescriptions. operation and surgical intervention; 26.4% wait less than 6 days. These waiting times are significantly lower than those recorded by public health. According to Health data, as of June 2024, the average wait time for surgery nationwide was approximately 121 days.
Concerning diagnostic tests, 81% of private patients wait less than two weeks and almost half of them have the results in less than 5 days. As for the public, the average waiting time is 94 days to undergo a diagnostic test.
High complexity increase
Likewise, the report reveals that very complex activities carried out in private centers are increasing significantly, from 4,403,571 tests in 2021 to 4,742,770 in 2022, an increase of 7.7% in just one year. This increase occurs in each of the diagnostic tests with high-tech equipment (MRI, PET, CT, SPECT, scintigraphy, mammography and digital angiography), with among others 49% of MRIs, 39% of mammograms and 24% of CT . analyzes of the entire Spanish health system.
Concerning health activities, the hospital sector carries out 42% of surgical interventions, 34% of emergencies and 30% of consultations, stays and outings in Spain. In addition, it carries out 100% of proton therapy sessions, 25% of linear accelerator sessions, 23% of interventional radiology, 22% of hemodynamic studies and 9% of home hospitalizations.
