AARP Briefing with EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou

On June 18, 2009, AARP hosted a breakfast in honor of Androulla Vassiliou, the European Union's Health Commissioner. The event convened leading health care experts and stakeholders to discuss social disparity and access to health care in light of recent economic developments and the current financial crisis.

Commissioner Vassiliou's remarks are  summarized below:

The global financial crisis has proved that the economies of the world are closely interlinked. The financial crisis has spread across the world at a rapid pace and presents many challenges requiring collaboration and dialogue. There exists a huge health gap between countries in Europe...as large as 18 years in healthy life years.

The global financial crisis has many implications for health care.  Many people are unable to pay for health care due to job losses and reduced savings and investments. The global financial crisis also creates a significant amount of stress on individuals, resulting in a greater risk for cardiovascular disease, anxiety, depression, and other problems, in addition to leading to other damaging behavior such as smoking and alcohol abuse. The threat of a job loss can also lead to these problems.

During economic crises, governments spend less money on health care in order to meet other current financial obligations. A decreased investment in public health disproportionately affects the most vulnerable populations, which can result in a widening of health care inequalities. During economic crises, it is important to maintain commitments to fundamental values of solidarity, respect for human rights, and protection of the most vulnerable members of society.

Good health is a necessity of a strong economy, as a healthy population translates into a strong productive labor force. Those with poor health are less productive and create a growing strain on health care and other social resources. Those with poor health often need to take more sick days or are unable to work due to health problems.

EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou with AARP Senior Vice President for International Initiatives Ladan Manteghi

Reductions in public health care investments often lead to a reduction in preventative health care. To address preventable diseases causes by unhealthy lifestyles, there needs to be a greater emphasis on the prevention of diseases and promotion of good health.

The European Commission has been a strong advocate of promoting healthy lifestyles and tackling important determinants for health. These policies include nutrition and physical activity advocacy, deterrents for tobacco and alcohol abuse, and screening for cancer. The EU has begun cooperative initiatives with the U.S. on nutrition advocacy and mental health.

The European Commission is also advocating for support of dynamic and sustainable health systems to improve cost-efficiency in health spending. In order to save money on health technology, EU member states pool expertise and resources to evaluate new technology in order to avoid duplication. There could be more dialogue and cooperation between the EU and the U.S. in comparative effectiveness research. The European Commission is also promoting the creation of the European Reference Networks for rare diseases to give patients more opportunities and access for treatment.

Leading health care experts and stakeholders convened to discuss social disparity and access to health care in light of recent economic developments and the current financial crisis

Health inequalities also need to be addressed in the economic crisis. There exists a huge health gap between countries in Europe, with a gap as large as 18 years in healthy life years between countries. Socio-economic inequalities also lead to these health disparities. The goal is that people should have an equal right to health wherever the live and whatever their social situation. Europe and the United States should continue a dialogue on the similar problems of health disparities.

To conclude, the economic crisis presents a number of challenges for health care and the need for intensified international dialogue. These include investing in health rather than decreases in spending; focusing on prevention; achieving dynamic and sustainable health systems; and tackling inequalities while protecting the most vulnerable of society.

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