Changes in the responsibilities and financing of the health system in Italy
The article attempts to shed light on recent developments in the Italian national health service, particularly the changes introduced by the reforms of the late 1990s. By strengthening the role of regional governments, these measures deeply affected the previous centre-regional balance of power. The...
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| Format: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Język: | Français |
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2006
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| Dostęp online: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Streszczenie: | The article attempts to shed light on recent developments in the Italian national health service, particularly the changes introduced by the reforms of the late 1990s. By strengthening the role of regional governments, these measures deeply affected the previous centre-regional balance of power. The article contrasts the co-operative approach adopted by the centre-left governments that originally introduced the relevant legislation with the confrontational style typical of the following centre-right majority. Given that health funding played a crucial role in the controversy between the national government and the regions, the article discusses the rationale of legislation on fiscal federalism and its implementation, but also the quantity and quality of health care services provided in the different parts of the country. As the article illustrates, northern and central regions continue to have a higher level of services compared to the south, thereby attracting a considerable number of hospital patients from ill-equipped southern areas. The last part of the article addresses this topical issue and the possibility that inter-regional conflicts might surface and complicate the situation further, especially in the light of the constitutional reform approved by the centre-right majority just before the end of the legislative process. |
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