Can people afford to pay for health care? New evidence on financial protection in Malta: summary

Overview

This review assesses the extent to which people in Malta face financial barriers that prevent them from accessing health care or experience financial hardship when they use health care. It covers the period from 2008 to 2025 using data from household budget surveys carried out in 2008 and 2015 (‎the latest available year; a new survey is currently underway but data from the new survey will only be publicly available at the end of 2026)‎, data on unmet need for health care up to 2023 (‎the latest available year)‎ and information on coverage policy (‎population coverage, service coverage and user charges)‎ up to January 2025 (‎UHC watch, 2025)‎.