Spanish health benefits for services of curative care

This contribution presents entitlements and benefits, decision criteria, and involved actors for services of curative care in Spain. It describes basic benefits included in the category of curative care defined by the central government and any additional benefits that some autonomous communities (ACs) have included to enlarge their own basket. It is concluded that there is no specific and explicit benefit catalogue. As no user charges exist for this category, waiting times serve as the main cost containment tool. There is a need for further legislation, as inequalities may increase across the territory as a matter of fact. Inequalities in access to health care resources between ACs are not due to differences in health baskets but mainly to the availability of technologies. © Springer Medizin Verlag 2005.