[Health expenditures in Spain at the dawn of the 3d millennium]

In 1997, per capita health expenditures reached in Spain 805 Euros as compared to 1146 Euros in the entire European Union. In terms of percent GDP, Spanish health expenditures amounted to 7.4 percent, as compared to 7.9 in the European Union. About 80% of Spanish health expenditures are public-funded. Since 1993 onwards, there is a political consensus for keeping at the same pace health expenditures increase and GDP growth. However it is not certain that such a consensus can be maintained, as trade unions are increasingly voicy for a strong growth of salaries in the public sector. There will be also pressure on the demand side, both in the short term (the Spanish people are increasingly expecting to raise their consumption of health services to the level of other European countries) and in the long run (impact of population aging).