More than three million people have health insurance in Portugal. The number is increasing and 2021 is no exception: according to the data of the Portuguese Insurance Association (APS), contracts will increase by 3.5%, year on year, with individuals showing greater dynamics (5.5%). ). However, this does not mean that companies have a significant involvement in the financing of Medicare in Portugal.
The Health Satellite account, from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), shows that private insurance accounts for 3.5% of global health spending. “Although it is often highlighted in the general discussion that 30% to 40% of residents in Portugal have some type of insurance (depending on the source), insurers account for no more than 3.5% of the total financing of the insurance system. health , while expenditures directly financed by families amount to 28.6% – pharmacy bills, which depend on the reimbursement policies of the National Health Service (SNS), are the second largest share of this burden and expenditures with offices and outpatient clinics are still very high (slightly less of 40% of direct family expenditures, 2020 figures) ”, analyzes Pedro Beta Barros, an economist specializing in the health sector and professor at Nova SBE.
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