Health protection gaps after the pandemic: an upward path?
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COVID-19 is pushing households into financial stress, particularly in emerging markets. This will likely widen the global health protection gap to well above its record-high level in 2019.
Key takeaways
- Global health resilience looks set to weaken in 2020 as incomes fall and health expenses rise.
- COVID-19 has triggered the deepest recession in modern history and we expect global real GDP to fall by 4% this year, potentially widening health protection gaps.
- The global health protection gap reached a new record high of USD 588 billion in 2019.
- Emerging markets accounted for almost two thirds of the health protection gap in 2019 and their health resilience score was 16ppt lower than advanced economies.
- Closing the health protection gap calls for partnerships between insurers, governments, public policymakers, healthcare and medical service providers that maximise financing efficiency by sharing healthcare risks.
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