March 8th 2025
Nora Dezsènyi
Italy’s 2025 Budget: A Record for or a Blow to Public Healthcare?
Italy’s health care system has long been a source of pride, celebrated nationally and internationally for its commitment to universal healthcare coverage and for the quality of the healthcare services provided. However, underneath this image of success lies a growing crisis, caused by years of neglect and underfunding by the government. Italy’s latest budget proposal, officially approved on December 28, has fuelled the crisis further. It sparked outrage among health care professionals and citizens across the country, amplifying fears about the future of Italy’s public health care system. Despite Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni boasting of the budget’s historic investments in health care, critics and health experts argue that the budget allocation is insufficient to address systemic and long term problems in the health care system.
Throughout these past months, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Health Minister Orazio Schillaci have proudly stated, both in public statements and on social media, that thanks to the budget, there will be an increase of €6.4 billion in health care spending over the following two years, with the National Health Fund reaching €136.48 billion in 2025 and €140.6 billion in 2026.
However, analysts, such as the Gimbe Foundation, warn that these figures are a bluff. In reality, the actual value of the increases is only €1.2 billion when adjusted to inflation and when considering the amount as a percentage of GDP. Indeed, the health care budget has declined as a percentage of GDP for many years, and this is going to continue, dropping from 6.1% this year to a projected 5.7% by 2029, lagging well behind France, Germany, and the UK.
Italy’s tremendous debt, approximately €3 trillion, has led to strong fiscal rules imposed by the European Union, with annual deficit reductions of minimum 0.5% of GDP for up to seven years. And healthcare is bearing the brunt of these reductions.
Public health care workers and citizens alike have been critical regarding the system’s issues, including low pay, worsening working conditions, and extreme staff shortages. Emergency units are especially overburdened, with up to 100 patients per doctor in some situations. Reports of extreme waitlists are constantly emerging, with patients waiting days in emergency rooms and up to 715 days for ultrasound appointments.
Indeed, it is estimated that 4.3 million Italians forgo treatment altogether due to long waiting lists, damaging health equity drastically. Simultaneously to these issues, the public healthcare system is experiencing a personnel exodus, with about 14 workers every day choosing to move to the private sector or seek opportunities abroad.
Italy’s policies regarding health care are representative of a broader pattern internationally, where many countries are investing in defense and sustainable energy while leaving health care behind. Indeed, Italy’s budget is also prioritizing sectors such as defense and the financial sector. These budget choices are particularly worrying considering that global health is worsening: issues such as climate change, conflicts, and forced displacement are exacerbating both communicable and noncommunicable diseases. Additionally, Italy’s health care faces a further problem: its aging population. ¼ of the population is above the age of 64, and although the elderly’s demands for health services are increasing, tax revenues to fund these needs are not going to be enough.
Compared to other major EU economies, Italy’s healthcare spending falls behind both in absolute terms and as a percentage of GDP. For example, while France allocated 10.2% of its GDP to healthcare in 2022, and the UK allocated 9.9% that same year, Italy allocated only 6.8%. Indeed, France, despite facing its own budget challenges, continues to expand its healthcare budget, with the 2025 budget plan increasing spending by 3.4%, including an additional €1 billion for hospitals. Moreover, the UK, which is also facing funding difficulties, has consistently increased health expenditure, with the latest budget adding £26 billion annually to the health system by 2025-26, including funding to reduce waiting lists and expand hospital capacity. Italy on the other hand is lagging behind.
Ultimately, although Giorgia Meloni is acting like her health budget allocations are unprecedented, when looking at the data, this is clearly not the case. Although it seems like the financing of healthcare has increased, the opposite is true. The relative decrease of health expenditure in Italy is worrying, and the effect of these policies is threatening the core principle behind Italy’s National Health Fund: universal healthcare coverage. Without adequate budget allocations, the public health care system will continue to deteriorate, harming citizens, healthcare workers, and the health system itself.