Health policy governance in the EU: composing a Jigsaw Puzzle?

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the impact of the economic and the political integration and also the Europeanisation on health policies and health systems in the EU. How European Union objectives can affect policies places under exclusively national competence? Health policy appears to be an enclave within the European integration, because health is perceived as an area with firm member state control, with a minimal EU role in the incremental and irresistible process of harmonization and Europeanisation. Although, health systems in the EU share common values and different health priorities and backgrounds the question that arises is : can we talk about market integration of health policies? I argue that the impact of European integration on national healthcare and the ways in which governments adjust their institutionalized healthcare governance do it – in terms of regulation of access, funding, membership entitlements, and management can be an interesting analysis of the evolution of health care systems and policies in the European Union.