IFRS 9 ECL Calculator
for Healthcare

IFRS 9 Expected Credit Losses for Healthcare

Healthcare entities face unique IFRS 9 ECL challenges because their receivable portfolio typically consists of multiple payer classes with fundamentally different credit risk profiles. Government and public health system receivables (NHS in the UK, Medicare/Medicaid equivalents in other jurisdictions) are virtually certain to be collected but may involve extended payment delays. Insurance company receivables carry the intermediary credit risk of the insurer plus dispute risk on claim amounts. Patient self-pay and co-pay receivables have the highest default rates, often ranging from 10–30% for amounts over 90 days past due. This mixed payer profile means that a single provision matrix applied to all healthcare receivables will produce a blended rate that may not accurately reflect any individual payer class. Best practice is to segment receivables by payer type and apply separate loss rates to each segment within the provision matrix.

Receivable Characteristics — Healthcare

Government/public payer receivables are characterised by high certainty of collection but slow payment cycles — 60 to 120 days is common for NHS and equivalent systems. Insurance company receivables depend on the insurer's claims processing efficiency and any disputes over treatment eligibility or coding. Patient self-pay receivables are typically small, numerous, and carry the highest credit risk. Grant receivables from research funding bodies (government agencies, charities, EU programmes) carry compliance risk — if the entity fails to meet grant conditions, the receivable may not be collectible. Pharmaceutical rebate receivables and medical supply manufacturer rebates represent another category with dispute risk. For private hospital groups, corporate account receivables from employers providing health insurance benefits add another payer dimension.

Forward-Looking Factors

Forward-looking indicators for healthcare ECL vary significantly by payer type. For government receivables, healthcare budget allocation trends and political risk (budget cuts, payment delays during fiscal stress) are the primary factors. For insurance receivables, the solvency and claims payment behaviour of the insurance counterparties matter most. For patient self-pay receivables, unemployment rates, household income trends, and consumer confidence indices are directly relevant. Industry-specific factors include healthcare regulatory changes that may affect reimbursement rates and the overall demand for healthcare services.

Regulatory and Audit Context

Auditors of healthcare entities should verify that the payer mix segmentation in the provision matrix is appropriate and that loss rates reflect the actual credit experience for each payer class. A common deficiency is applying a single blended loss rate across all payer types, which understates the ECL for self-pay receivables and overstates it for government receivables. For entities receiving government grants, the auditor should evaluate whether the grant receivable is within IFRS 9 scope (financial asset) or represents a government grant under IAS 20 (different impairment treatment). Healthcare entities subject to clinical negligence claims may have receivables from insurers or patients that are disputed — these should be individually assessed.

Healthcare entities receiving public funding should separately disclose ECL for government receivables and private-sector receivables. Clinical negligence receivables (from insurers or patients) that are under dispute should be individually assessed.