EuroHealthNet Guide for Financing Health Promotion
2.2.5 Pooling and repurposing of existing resources
Many European countries face growing demands on their health systems alongside constrained public budgets. In this context, innovation in health promotion financing is not only about new funding, but also about using existing resources more effectively.
Repurposing of existing resources
This includes identifying areas where current spending delivers limited value and redirecting those funds toward preventive and health-promoting interventions that are effective and aligned with population needs.
Research from the OECD estimates that around 20% of health expenditure in high-income countries may be considered wasteful with no or minimal contribution to good health outcomes, including overtreatment, administrative inefficiencies, and suboptimal resource use.
In this context, the concept of “disinvesting to reinvest” has gained momentum. This approach refers to systematically identifying and withdrawing resources from low-value interventions, services, or processes, and reallocating those freed-up resources toward areas that have stronger evidence of impact. The objective is not only to cut costs, but to maximise the value of public spending. Tools like programme budgeting and marginal analysis, health technology assessment (HTA), or prioritisation frameworks have been used to guide these decisions in a transparent, systemic, and evidence-based way.
Pooling of resources
But reallocation alone is not enough. To effectively respond to current and emerging health challenges, health systems must also innovate. This involves rethinking how health promotion is delivered, who delivers it, and how it is financed.
Effective innovation also requires flexible funding models. Traditional health budgets are often siloed, making it difficult to invest in approaches that span across sectors. Yet, many drivers of health – such as education, employment, housing, and the environment – are shaped outside the health sector.
Investing in structures that enable shared data, joint planning, and co-financing with other sectors can amplify the impact of health promotion interventions and help address these broader determinants of health.
Collaborative efforts across sectors, such as those outlined in more in the section on 'More effective and new collaborations', play a crucial role in pooling resources and aligning investments toward shared health goals.
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