نبذة مختصرة : Rapid growth of health expenditures has fueled discussions about rationalization of the health care. Worldwide, the health care resources are scarce and, therefore, it is necessary to ration them. Large amount of the diseases in developed countries are related to the lifestyle. Therewithal burden on the health-budget is an expanding dilemma. The fact that scarce medical resources are spent on diseases that, could be avoided to some extent through individual lifestyle changes is a paradox of modern medicine. This situation led scientists and politicians to consider whether the principle of personal responsibility for health is relevant and legitimate for prioritizing health care. The main question is whether a claim for health care is less legitimate if the individuals contribute to their illness than if there is no such association established. Academics are just beginning to explore what ‘responsibility principle’ can mean for health care allocation. This paper researches attitudes of citizens and health care professionals in Croatia regarding differentiation and priority-setting in health care according to lifestyle behaviors. Before presenting the results of the research, a short description of the Croatian health system, reforms and health care rationalization in general are presented.
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