Principles in Health Economics and Policy

by Jan Abel Olsen

Overview

Principles in Health Economics and Policy, second edition, is a concise introduction to health economics and its application to health policy. It introduces the subject of economics, explains the fundamental failures in the market for healthcare, and discusses the concepts of equity and fairness when applied to health and healthcare. This new edition presents a globally-relevant, policy-oriented approach, that emphasizes the application of economic analysis to universal health policy issues in an accessible manner. It explores four key questions currently facing health policy-makers across the globe: How should society intervene in the determinants that affect health? How should healthcare be financed? How should healthcare providers be paid? And, how should alternative healthcare programmes be evaluated when setting priorities? The book is an ideal guide to everyone interested in how the tools of health economics can be applied when shaping health policy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780192513748
Publisher:	OUP Oxford
Publication date:	08/24/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Jan Abel Olsen is a professor of health economics and health services research at the Department of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, Norway. He is an adjunct professor at the Centre for Health Economics, Monash University, Australia, and a part-time researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. His eclectic research interests include measurement and valuation of health outcomes, efficiency vs equality in health and health care, primary care financing, and social epidemiology. He has published extensively in leading journals in these fields, and has served as an advisor to various governmental bodies and commissions.

Table of Contents

1. Health and healthcare
2. Economics and efficiency
3. What makes the market for healthcare different?
4. Equality and fairness
5. Determinants of (inequalities in) health: An overview
6. Exogenous determinants of health
7. The social environment and health
8. Health related behaviour
9. Funding sources: An overview
10. Uncertainty and health insurance
11. Prepayment schemes
12. Patient payments
13. The healthcare delivery system: An overview
14. Primary care: Paying general practitioners
15. Secondary care: Hospital financing
16. Unwarranted variations in healthcare utilization
17. Economic evaluation and priority setting: An overview
18. Benefits from improved health
19. Costs and the cost-effectiveness threshold
20. Beyond cost-effectiveness: Priority setting
Index

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Carole A. Kenner, PhD, RN, FAAN, FNAP, ANEF (The College of New Jersey)
Description: This book primarily presents economic principles and applies them to health policy. It moves from general definitions of health and healthcare through various aspects of health and healthcare related to markets and distribution of healthcare in various settings, to determinants of health. Most chapters contain formulas for calculation of costs and textboxes that allow readers to apply economic principles, and end with policy lessons to guide the discussion. The previous edition was published in 2009.
Purpose: The purpose is to provide a quick reference for applying health economics to policy issues that impact healthcare. The authors outline four questions that confront policymakers: determinants of health, healthcare financing and how it should be done; how providers should be paid; and evaluation of health programs and priority setting. This book presents the material from a European perspective, but the content is applicable to other regions of the world. These worthy objectives are met, with examples of the application of economics to healthcare and policy questions throughout.
Audience: According to the author, the book is for anyone interested in applying economics to healthcare. As some of the material is very complex, those interested in healthcare economics would benefit the most.
Features: This complex subject is broken down into short, easy to read chapters. Each chapter illustrates the main concepts through illustrations, charts, or tables. Offering policy lessons throughout the book helps readers to see the applicability to policy decisions. For readers with little or no economics background, a glossary of terms would have been helpful.
Assessment: There are many economic and policy books on the market, but none that applies economic principles to policy making in such a concise manner as this one does. This update presents material that is more application-oriented than in the past. Given the push towards universal healthcare globally and the concerns over healthcare financing, this new edition is justified.

Doody's Review Service

"There are many economic and policy books on the market, but none that applies economic principles to policy making in such a concise manner as this one does." — Carole A. Kenner, Doody's

From the Publisher