The Greek state has reduced their funding on health as part of broader efforts to limit the
large fiscal deficits and rising debt ratios to GDP. Benefits cuts and limitations of Social
Health Insurance (SHI) reimbursements result in substantial Out of Pocket (OOP) payments
in the Greek population. In this paper, we examine social health insurance's risk pooling
mechanisms and the catastrophic impact that OOP payments may have on insured's income
and well-being. Using data collected from a cross sectional survey in Greece, we find that …