It identifies policies that can ally vulnerabilities considering the institutional setting of health care systems, such as the public-private mix and the main sources of revenues, and the need to balance economic sustainability with the adequacy of services. Health care systems are a central component of modem welfare states and greatly contribute to social welfare and personal well-being. It is widely recognised that health care systems will continue to face adverse secular trends in the coming years due to aging, price and technology developments, which in the long run may undermine their capacity to deliver the services the population expects.