Between 2009 and 2012, the national government reduced public healthcare spending by 6.75 billion euros. Meanwhile, private healthcare spending shot up by 2.16 billion euros. The disparity shows that healthcare reform efforts have been focused on prescription drug costs instead of changing the service model.
Households also increased healthcare spending, but almost half of the increase comes from the dental industry, which is essentially outside of the public healthcare scope. There are now tensions concerning medications for the elderly, and there are signs that the spending disparity will intensify in the years to come.