What changes can we expect on health care in the coming general elections in Spain? Following up on our previous post, we have some insights on what lies ahead for the coming general elections in Spain.

On July 3, 2023, PRECISIONadvisors team attended the meeting convoked by Diariofarma with the health spokespeople from the 4 main political parties to discuss their respective party’s thoughts and plans in relation to health care in the coming elections. The participating parties were: Popular Party (PP) (right leaning); Socialist Party (PSOE) (left leaning); Vox -(far right); and Sumar (left leaning).

Concrete proposals were scarce, and most comments were very broad and directional.

Points where all 4 parties concurred:

• The need to include patients, medical colleges, and associations into evaluating, shaping, and participating in the health system • Increasing focus on prevention

• Increase support for innovation

• Reduce P&R times

• Advancing the concept of One Health

Clear mention was made by both the PP and Vox—right and far right parties—to consider and integrate the pharmaceutical industry on par with patients and associations. In relation to market access, it was not clear if the intent was to also include the additional stakeholders in the different processes. PSOE, Sumar, and PP mentioned the intent of having an independent National Health Agency in Spain; PP and Sumar mentioned it should be akin to NICE.

The most aggressive and concrete proposals came from the Vox representative:

• One unified national health system instead of the current decentralized one (which he recognized as not viable at this point)

• Centered around the patient

• Separating health management from politics

• Per capita health budget throughout communities to be more equitable

• Follow a similar P&R process to the German one where after EMA approval, access was granted and followed by negotiations and price adjustments

• Have an independent pathway for orphan drugs

• National reference centers

Sumar advocated for:

• Increased transparency on the access and price setting mechanisms, highlighting the challenge of increasing prices from novel therapies

• Having improved equity among communities

• Integrating both health and social, considering social factors as part of health, also

PSOE—the current government party—defended the current administration’s performance in health and proposed:

• Reducing co-payments

• Reforms to various health laws (eg. Ley de Garantías)

• Supporting innovation

• Increased equity

• Integrating sanitary and social systems

PP proposed:

• Increased support innovation by supporting the industry

• Updating health-related laws

• Consideration of and focus on the aging population

The national general elections will take place on July 23, 2023. We will then see which party with get the majority, or if there will be a need for coalitions and how this will shape health policy in the coming years.