Informal out-of-pocket payments for healthcare services in Greece

Background: Informal out-of-pocket (OOP) payments for healthcare services are not unusual in Greece.

Aim: This study estimates the association between respondent and incident-level characteristics and informal payments.

Methods: A survey of 4218 households was conducted from November 2016 to February 2017. We analyzed healthcare incidents by all household members within the past four months. Multivariate negative binomial regression analysis was used to estimate the association between respondents and incident-level characteristics and informal OOP payments to providers.

Results: A total of 3494 healthcare incidents were reported by 3183 household-representatives. More-than-half (63 %) of all incidents involved informal activity (median=€150). About 30 % of those were related to provider requested payments. Using hospital, dental, diagnostic/screening, and emergency department services compared to primary care services and having oncological and surgical conditions were among the strongest predictors of higher rates for informal payments. The use of specific providers for reasons related to trust, reputation, referral, and lack of alternatives was also associated with higher rates of informal payments. Provider requested and skip the line payments were associated with larger OOP amounts compared to gratitude payments.

Conclusion: This survey reveals that informal payments occur for higher-need and less cost-responsive healthcare services particularly in areas where patients lack alternatives. Health policy and regulatory interventions, including stricter control of the financial reporting system are essential to limit informal payments.