The Law and Policy of Healthcare Financing

An International Comparison of Models and Outcomes

Elgar Studies in Health and the Law

Edited by Wolf Sauter, Full Professor of Law, Markets and Behavior, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Coordinating Specialist Enforcement Official, Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), Jos Boertjens and Johan van Manen, Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa) and Misja Mikkers, Tilburg University, Department of Economics and Tilburg Law and Economics Center (TILEC) and Dutch Healthcare Authority (NZa), the Netherlands

Examining the ways and extent to which systemic factors affect health outcomes with regard to quality, affordability and access to curative healthcare, this explorative book compares tax-funded Beveridge systems and insurance-based Bismarck systems. Containing contributions from national experts, The Law and Policy of Healthcare Financing charts and compares the merits of healthcare systems throughout 11 countries, from the UK to Colombia.

我们如何支付healthcare systems is nothing short of a test of our success as communities and nations: healthcare preserves and promotes human dignity. The balance between rising demands and costs, access for all, and efficiency and quality is pursued in different ways. Studies like this – even though comparable data is scarce – help us see possible better ways forward. The editors have assembled an impressive team, and their comparative research design yields rich insights.’
– Tamara Hervey, University of Sheffield, UK

‘Due to aging populations and technological advancements, countries are facing the challenge of improving healthcare quality, while maintaining access and containing cost. Focusing on the hospital sector, this book discusses how a variety of 11 countries try to meet this challenge. Specific attention is paid to the role of the regulatory framework, market structure, rationing and reimbursement methods. Although no best practice emerges, this book may be very useful for policymakers and anyone else interested in cross-country comparison.’
– Frederik T. Schut, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands