La coopération en matière de soins et maîtrise des dépenses de santé: quel avenir?

Résumé

The question concerning the future cooperation in the field of heath care and the control of health care expenditure may, as a start, be answered by looking at the past and the present. These two dimensions have existed since the Treaty of Rome and have continuously developed further ever since. The creation of the Internal Market in 1992 and the consequent free movement of services (health services), the free movement of goods (medical products – pharmaceuticals or similar products) and the free movement of persons (patients) led to certain disputes before the European Court of Justice. The decisions taken in this connection have created a new case law changing the existing cooperation altogether. Both the adjustment of the regulations on the co-ordination of social security and the directive on the application of patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare adopted in 2011 oblige the member states to engage in a more comprehensive, innovative cooperation. This includes the introduction of a “healthcare market” that must be observed by the social security institutions, the “mutuelles”, the patients’ associations, and also the healthcare providers in order to ensure general access to high quality care services.