Health care in Spain

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, total health spending accounted for 9.4% of GDP in Spain in 2011, slightly above the OECD average of 9.3%.

[citation needed] Spain's healthcare system ranks 19th in Europe according to the 2018 Euro Health Consumer Index.

The analysis noted that a possible explanation for this disconnect was that autonomous communities had only experienced greater autonomy in the area of health care for a short time, and positive effects on policy outcomes could take longer to manifest.

The authors of the analysis stressed that the data was limited due to the subjective nature of patient reports, and the possible inability of some to properly evaluate performance of health care services.

[9] As of 2020, according to the World Economic Forum and to Bloomberg, Spain has the most efficient health system in Europe, and also ranks at the top worldwide along with Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.

[13] In 2015, the Euro health consumer index rated Spain 19th of 35 European countries, remarking that there was somewhat of an over-reliance on seeking private care.

Compared to 14 other nations in 2002, Spain ranked third highest for the amount of support the public had for a strong role of the government in healthcare.

[18] In this case, having supplementary voluntary health insurance is often a luxury that helps people secure faster, more convenient, or better available treatment.

[20] In Spain, co-payments do not usually apply and are limited to special medicines and services that are not covered by the National Health System.

[23] In more recent years, a 2016 study shows that global use of healthcare in Spain was utilized more by nationals than by immigrants in all areas.

These differences, as referenced in the research study, could be explained in part due to migrants being younger and in healthier conditions, or potentially through possible inequalities among Spanish healthcare providers.

When compared to other European countries, most immigrants typically see more physician, general practitioners, and hospital stays than nationals.