One of the basic needs of the households is a health care. The complexity of the factors
determining the health status of a population tends to believe that real expenditures on
health care are characterized by a great diversity, as well as a sense of health is socially
diverse phenomenon. The aim of the study is to investigate the level of expenditure on
health incurred in Polish households in 2004-2013 and to identify the factors affecting
such expenditures. The source of information used in the study was the household budget
survey of the Central Statistical Office of Poland. The main method used in this study
was regression analysis. Health expenditure increases every year together with their share
in total household expenditure. The increase in drug consumption, rising supply of
private health services, as well as the aging of the population, seem to decide on the
increase in households health expenditure. The most important factors affecting the
health spending in Polish households are: age of members of the household, income per
capita and the level of education of the head of the family. Rational health policy requires
a current state of knowledge regarding determinants of the health needs of the
households.