obesity rates are rising particularly among children where the rate has grown by since nevertheless the share of public expenditure is high and the benefits package is broad while copayments are levied on an increasingly wide range of health benefits there are exemptions for vulnerable groups and outofpocket payments accounted for only of total health spending in equal to the eu average strengthened health system governance will be crucial to ensure financial sustainability there is a large gender gap with women living about six years longer than men years for women compared with slightly less than years for men standardised death rates from cardiovascular diseases were per population in times higher than the eu average of