In December 2020, the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Center (KCE) published the report “Health System Performance Assessment: how equitable is the Belgian health system?” (KCE Report 334) in which SHARE data was used to examine the topic of unmet health care needs in Belgium due to financial reasons. SHARE research found that 3.1 % of Belgians above 50 have unmet needs for a doctor because of financial reasons and 5.3% for a dentist.

The KCE is a federal research institute in Belgium that provides multidisciplinary scientific advice to relevant persons and authorities on topics related to health care, specifically on the organization and financing of the Belgian health system. It assesses health technologies, guidelines for clinical practice etc. and reviews foreign research (institutes and journals), all of which could be of interest to Belgian clinicians and authorities. The KCE operates under the administrative authority of the Federal Minister of Public Health of Belgium. Overall, the KCE was founded to tackle the challenges of organizing and financing health care and help healthcare policymakers with their decisions. KCE’s mission is to advise policymakers on decisions relating to health care and health insurance on the basis of scientific and objective research.