ABSTRACT
Healthcare systems within the European Union share similar values and are underpinned by the principle of solidarity; however, the management and delivery of national healthcare services are typically based on either the universalistic (national health services) or mutualistic (social security) model. The Covid-19 pandemic put national healthcare systems under considerable stress, with national systems taking different responses to the pandemic, yet at the same time each strengthening the digitalisation and computerisation of healthcare services. Although such reorganisation allows to contain the costs of healthcare spending, it risks increasing the inequalities amongst the groups in society most vulnerable to digital health illiteracy, such as the elderly. This chapter argues that legislators should not underestimate the issue of the digital divide in healthcare services.
