BEYOND HEALTH EXPENDITURE: A COMPARATIVE INDICATOR-BASED ASSESSMENT OF HEALTH SYSTEM PERFORMANCE IN GERMANY, AUSTRIA AND CZECHIA
PATRICK MINI
https://doi.org/10.53465/ER.2644-7185.2026.3.166-191
Abstract: This paper examines how selected OECD and Eurostat indicators can be used to compare specific dimensions of health-system performance in Germany, Austria and Czechia. Rather than constructing a ranking, the study applies a concise multidimensional framework that covers healthcare expenditure relative to GDP, life expectancy, ambulatory care-sensitive hospital admissions, satisfaction with the availability of quality healthcare, and self-reported unmet medical needs. The comparison identifies distinct and partly contrasting country profiles: Germany combines the highest expenditure intensity with comparatively high life expectancy and comparatively high admission rates for selected ambulatory care-sensitive conditions; Austria records comparatively high life expectancy, the most favourable satisfaction values and, for most of the observation period, low self-reported unmet medical needs; and Czechia combines lower expenditure and life expectancy with low self-reported unmet medical needs and a mixed profile across the selected hospital-admission indicators. These patterns are interpreted descriptively rather than causally. The contribution of the study lies in providing a transparent and parsimonious approach to selecting, operationalising and jointly interpreting routinely available cross-national indicators while making explicit the limits of broader performance conclusions drawn from such data.
Keywords: performance indicators, health system comparison, Germany, Austria, Czechia
JEL Classification: I11, I18, H51
Fulltext: PDF
Online publication date: 30 September 2026
To cite this article (APA style):
Mini. P. (2026). Beyond health expenditure: A comparative indicator-based assessment of health system performance in Germany, Austria, and Czechia. Economic Review, 55(3), 166 -191. https://doi.org/10.53465/ER.2644-7185.2026.3.166-191
Publisher: Bratislava University of Economics and Business
ISSN 2644-7185 (online)
License:
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
