Direct payments in healthcare as a factor of financial protection of households

This article analyzes modern approaches to financial protection of households in the face of growing direct payments in health care. The main global indicators for assessing the availability of medical services and the catastrophic nature of direct payments in health care are considered. Comparative analysis of Russia with the countries of Eastern Europe and the post-Soviet space shows an improvement in indicators of the availability of healthcare services and catastrophic costs. The main factor in the growth of direct payments in healthcare in the Russian Federation is the growth in the cost of drugs and their share in the expenditures of low-income households.