Acting Early on Non-Communicable Diseases 2026

Out-of-pocket spending on health as a percentage of final household consumption, 2021 (or nearest year)59FIGURE 4 Source: Adapted from: OECD (2023), Health at a glance 2023: OECD indicators. OECD Publishing, Paris –Increase prevention investment: Move beyond marginal adjustments to meaningful reallocation towards prevention. Establish transparent tracking systems across all funding sources and protect prevention budgets through multi-year commitments, reflecting the long- term nature of prevention benefits. –Strengthen financial protection: Minimize out-of-pocket healthcare costs and implement means-tested exemptions providing enhanced protection for those with chronic conditions who face cumulative costs over years. Simplify administrative access and monitor financial protection by socioeconomic status to trigger policy responses when disparities emerge. –Reform resource allocation: Ensure allocation formulas reflect the true costs of delivering care in different contexts, including social deprivation, infrastructure limitations and the challenges of serving dispersed populations. Areas facing multiple disadvantages require additional support to achieve equitable outcomes. –Embed the value of prevention: Systematically consider prevention benefits using appropriate time horizons capturing long-term value. Develop mechanisms allowing health systems to benefit from the broader savings that their prevention activities generate. –Create financing mechanisms rewarding coordination: Move from fragmented funding streams to population-based or bundled payments encouraging collaboration across providers. Explicitly recognize prevention and coordination activities in payment systems. –Reform payment systems: Transition primary care from fee-for-service towards capitation- based models providing predictable funding for prevention and chronic disease management. Where pay-for-performance is considered, careful design is essential. Priority should go to removing perverse incentives, ensuring adequate reimbursement for consultation time and team-based care.Policy levers 2.2% 2.3% 2.4% 3.2% 3.3% 3.6% 4.0% 4.6% France Poland Japan Germany Canada Italy Spain Greece Acting Early on Non-Communicable Diseases: A Framework for Health System Transformation 17