Table 3 Policies implemented in Spain since the crisisa
From: Understanding the impact of the economic crisis on child health: the case of Spain
Measure | Type of measureb | Content of measures | Potential impact on family and children |
|---|---|---|---|
Royal decree law 8/2010 on exceptional measures to reduce public spending (May, 2010) | B | Removal of universal benefits for each birth or adoption (2500 Euros), among other measures of reduction on public spending | The birth benefit started in 2007 (recently); its removal has an impact on the whole society with likely greater impact on poor families |
Modification of Article 135 of the Spanish Constitution (September, 2011) | S | Established the primacy of fiscal stability. All governments should respect the structural deficits, and public debt should be a priority in payment | The fact that future budgets were conditioned to pay the debt before attending to the needs of citizens has potential impacts on the whole society |
Royal decree law 16/2012 and further developments | S & B | Transform the healthcare system with almost universal coverage to a social security system, and establish the exclusion of specific groups such as undocumented migrants. Increase in co-payments for drugs and also extended it to other sanitary products and services | Theoretically these measures do not apply to children under 18y (they continuous having universal coverage), but the policy particularly impacts vulnerable families and migrant families. The removal of universal coverage has the potential to greatly increase health inequalities. |
Spanish general budget 2011 (Dec 2011); law 2/2012 (April 2012); decree law 21/2012 (July 2012); and subsequent laws on the general budget | B | Budget cuts of approximately 20–25 % on public spending; plus other measures addressed to reduce unemployment benefits, and increase VAT from 18 to 21 % | Linear cuts, reduction of unemployment benefits which penalise long term unemployed, and increase in none progressive taxes. All measures have a greater impact on poor families |
Stability Programme 2013–16 (April 2013) | S & B | Control of deficit (6.3 % in 2013, and proposal of 5.5 % in 2014, 4.1 % in 2015 and 2.7 % in 2016). | Unknown impact in the short term but the impact could be greater on poor families if the control of deficit is centred on budget cuts |
Investment in social protection for children and families | B | Comparing the years 2007, 2010 and 2013 in constant Euros, the latter data showed a reduction of 6.8 % over 2007 and 14.6 % since 2010 [31]. The budget cuts in public education have affected child pre-schooling, among other sectors | Impact on social inequalities and greater impact on vulnerable families |
Housing policy: low social protection and a system (pre-crisis) that perpetuate debts even after evictions | S | Evicted families and/or with difficulties in maintaining their houses with precarious jobs or without jobs increased with the crisis | A great impact on vulnerable families and social movements demanding changes in these laws that penalise vulnerable families |