On average, for every 1 % of additional pre-crisis health expenditure growth there was a 0.9% drop in health expenditure after the crisis. This recession was in many ways deeper, has lasted longer and has experienced weaker recovery than previous recessions such as those experienced in the 1970s and 1980s (OECD 2012). Patterns of health care expenditure have also been remarkably different during the psot-2008 recession.