The rise of the health economy: challenges, opportunities and options for reform

Demographic, scientific and technological evolutions are increasingly putting financial strain on Belgium’s healthcare system. Both public and private healthcare expenditures are on the rise. Without thorough, structural reforms we risk the unfortunate but inevitable decline of a system previously renowned for its quality and accessibility. The purpose of this article is to offer some food for thought on healthcare policy reform in Belgium. We will focus on new roles for all the actors of the healthcare system, new financial and non-financial incentives for the healthcare providers and organisations to accept and expand these new roles, and a broader (horizontal?) reorganisation of the system placing the patient and the pathology at its very core (also known as the continuum of care). In their conclusion, Marc De Vos and Brieuc Van Damme plead for a better reflection on healthcare funding.