Economic shocks pose a threat to health and health system performance by increasing people‎'‎s need for health care and making access to care more difficult ‎- a situation compounded by cuts in public spending on health and other social services‎.‎ But these negative effects can be avoided by timely public policy action‎.‎ While important public policy levers lie outside the health sector‎,‎ in the hands of those responsible for fiscal policy and social protection‎,‎ the health system response is critical‎.‎ This book looks at how health systems in Europe reacted to pressure created by the financial and economic crisis that began in 2008‎.‎ Drawing on the experience of over 45 countries‎,‎ the authors‎:‎‎'‎ analyse health system responses to the crisis in three policy areas‎:‎ public funding for the health system‎;‎ health coverage‎;‎ and health service planning‎,‎ purchasing and delivery ‎'‎assess the impact of these responses on health systems and population health‎'‎ identify policies most likely to sustain the performance of health systems facing financial pressure‎'‎ explore the political economy of implementing reforms in a crisisThe book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the choices available to policy‎-makers ‎- and the implications of failing to protect health and health‎-system performance ‎- in the face of economic and other forms of shock‎.‎