An international seminar, organized under the framework of the Aspen Healthcare & Quality of Life Program.
The seminar will be conducted in Romanian and will take place in a picturesque location in Giurgiu County, close to Bucharest.
The program will begin on Thursday afternoon and will conclude on Saturday afternoon.

 

A New Social Contract in Healthcare: Solidarity in a Changing World

Healthcare systems reflect how societies understand solidarity and responsibility toward their most vulnerable members. Today, these principles are under pressure from geopolitical, economic, and technological shifts, raising broader questions about the future of the social contract in healthcare.

Across Europe, systems built on solidarity and universal access face growing constraints, while new technologies such as artificial intelligence are reshaping how care is delivered and governed. In this context, healthcare remains essential to social cohesion and long-term economic resilience.

This year’s Aspen Healthcare & Quality of Life Seminar, titled “A New Social Contract in Healthcare: Solidarity in a Changing World,” aims to explore how healthcare systems can respond to these transformations while preserving the fundamental values that underpin the European model: solidarity, equity, and collective responsibility.

Over the course of three days, the seminar will bring together decision-makers, healthcare professionals, researchers, and leaders from across sectors to reflect on the future of solidarity-based healthcare systems. Through a combination of policy discussions and values-driven dialogue, participants will explore how these systems can remain resilient and sustainable in an increasingly complex environment.

The discussions will focus on three main pillars:

  1. Solidarity in a Changing World: Rethinking the Social Contract in Healthcare

European healthcare systems were built on the premise that health is a shared social good and that society has a collective responsibility to safeguard the well-being of its members. However, geopolitical shifts, economic pressures, and social transformations are increasingly testing these principles. This session will explore how the concept of solidarity is evolving in today’s context and what this evolution means for the organization of healthcare systems. It will address fundamental questions related to individual versus collective responsibility, the limits of solidarity, and how equitable access to healthcare can be maintained in a context of limited resources.

  1. Sustainability of Healthcare Systems: Financing, Prioritization, and Resilience

Amid growing budgetary pressures and competing strategic priorities, the sustainability of healthcare systems has become a central concern for governments and society. Maintaining solidarity in healthcare depends not only on the level of available resources, but also on how they are allocated and used. This session will explore how financing models and payment mechanisms can be redesigned to support more efficient, transparent, and value-oriented healthcare systems. Particular attention will be given to how reimbursement and pricing systems influence the organization and performance of healthcare providers.

  1. Artificial Intelligence, Data, and the Future of Healthcare Systems

Rapid advances in artificial intelligence and large-scale data use have the potential to fundamentally transform healthcare systems—from clinical decision-making to service delivery and biomedical research. At the same time, these developments raise important questions about how technology should be governed in order to serve the public interest and maintain societal trust. This session will explore how emerging European frameworks, such as the AI Act and the European Health Data Space (EHDS), can support the development of a digital health ecosystem that is not only innovative, but also responsible, transparent, and aligned with the core values of solidarity-based healthcare systems.

Bringing together key stakeholders from the Aspen Healthcare & Quality of Life community, the seminar will apply the Aspen Method to ensure a diverse group of participants in terms of sectors and professional backgrounds. The seminar will convene approximately 20–25 participants and will combine expert-led presentations, moderated discussions, and case studies on public policy issues, with a strong emphasis on interaction among public, private, academic, and civil society actors in the healthcare field.