The Oxford Handbook of Health Economics
The Oxford Handbook of Health Economics

Author: Sherry Glied

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2013-05-23

Total Pages: 992

ISBN-13: 0191667161

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The Oxford Handbook of Health Economics provides an accessible and authoritative guide to health economics, intended for scholars and students in the field, as well as those in adjacent disciplines including health policy and clinical medicine. The chapters stress the direct impact of health economics reasoning on policy and practice, offering readers an introduction to the potential reach of the discipline. Contributions come from internationally-recognized leaders in health economics and reflect the worldwide reach of the discipline. Authoritative, but non-technical, the chapters place great emphasis on the connections between theory and policy-making, and develop the contributions of health economics to problems arising in a variety of institutional contexts, from primary care to the operations of health insurers. The volume addresses policy concerns relevant to health systems in both developed and developing countries. It takes a broad perspective, with relevance to systems with single or multi-payer health insurance arrangements, and to those relying predominantly on user charges; contributions are also included that focus both on medical care and on non-medical factors that affect health. Each chapter provides a succinct summary of the current state of economic thinking in a given area, as well as the author's unique perspective on issues that remain open to debate. The volume presents a view of health economics as a vibrant and continually advancing field, highlighting ongoing challenges and pointing to new directions for further progress.

Financing Health Services in Developing Countries
Financing Health Services in Developing Countries

Author: John S. Akin

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 1987-01-01

Total Pages: 104

ISBN-13: 9780821309001

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This report discusses several different approaches that support reforming health care services in developing countries. For some time now, health care services have been supported by government funds. As demands for improving health care services continue to increase additional demands will be placed on governments to respond. This, however, will not be easy. Slow economic growth and record budget deficits in the 1980's have forced reductions in public spending. Alternative approaches to finance health care services are needed. Such possible changes could involve: decentralization of federal government involvement; the promotion of nongovernment involvement; the imposition of user fees; and, establishing health insurance. Finally, the role of the Bank in pursuing new financing strategies is discussed.

Health Financing Revisited
Health Financing Revisited

Author: Pablo Enrique Gottret

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2006-01-01

Total Pages: 340

ISBN-13: 082136586X

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This overview of health financing tools, policies and trends--with a particular focus on challenges facing developing countries--provides the basis for effective policy-making. Analyzing the current global environment, the book discusses health financing goals in the context of both the underlying health, demographic, social, economic, political and demographic analytics as well as the institutional realities faced by developing countries, and assesses policy options in the context of global evidence, the international aid architecture, cross-sectoral interactions, and countries' macroeconomic frameworks and overall development plans.

Crossing the Global Quality Chasm
Crossing the Global Quality Chasm

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2019-01-27

Total Pages: 399

ISBN-13: 0309477891

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In 2015, building on the advances of the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations adopted Sustainable Development Goals that include an explicit commitment to achieve universal health coverage by 2030. However, enormous gaps remain between what is achievable in human health and where global health stands today, and progress has been both incomplete and unevenly distributed. In order to meet this goal, a deliberate and comprehensive effort is needed to improve the quality of health care services globally. Crossing the Global Quality Chasm: Improving Health Care Worldwide focuses on one particular shortfall in health care affecting global populations: defects in the quality of care. This study reviews the available evidence on the quality of care worldwide and makes recommendations to improve health care quality globally while expanding access to preventive and therapeutic services, with a focus in low-resource areas. Crossing the Global Quality Chasm emphasizes the organization and delivery of safe and effective care at the patient/provider interface. This study explores issues of access to services and commodities, effectiveness, safety, efficiency, and equity. Focusing on front line service delivery that can directly impact health outcomes for individuals and populations, this book will be an essential guide for key stakeholders, governments, donors, health systems, and others involved in health care.

Voluntary Health Insurance in Europe: Country Experience
Voluntary Health Insurance in Europe: Country Experience

Author: Sagan A.

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 2016-07-20

Total Pages: 163

ISBN-13: 9289050373

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No two markets for voluntary health insurance (VHI) are identical. All differ in some way because they are heavily shaped by the nature and performance of publicly financed health systems and by the contexts in which they have evolved. This volume contains short structured profiles of markets for VHI in 34 countries in Europe. These are drawn from European Union member states plus Armenia Iceland Georgia Norway the Russian Federation Switzerland and Ukraine. The book is aimed at policy-makers and researchers interested in knowing more about how VHI works in practice in a wide range of contexts. Each profile written by one or more local experts identifies gaps in publicly-financed health coverage describes the role VHI plays outlines the way in which the market for VHI operates summarises public policy towards VHI including major developments over time and highlights national debates and challenges. The book is part of a study on VHI in Europe prepared jointly by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the WHO Regional Office for Europe. A companion volume provides an analytical overview of VHI markets across the 34 countries.

The Independence of Credit Rating Agencies
The Independence of Credit Rating Agencies

Author: Gianluca Mattarocci

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2013-10-22

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 012404736X

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The Independence of Credit Rating Agencies focuses on the institutional and regulatory dynamics of these agencies, asking whether their business models give them enough independence to make viable judgments without risking their own profitability. Few have closely examined the analytical methods of credit rating agencies, even though their decisions can move markets, open or close the doors to capital, and bring down governments. The 2008 financial crisis highlighted their importance and their shortcomings, especially when they misjudged the structured financial products that precipitated the collapse of Bear Stearns and other companies. This book examines the roles played by rating agencies during the financial crisis, illuminating the differences between U.S. and European rating markets, and also considers subjects such as the history of rating agencies and the roles played by smaller agencies to present a well-rounded portrait. - Reports on one of the key causes of the 2008 financial crisis: agencies that failed to understand how to analyze financial products - Describes inherent business model and pricing conflicts that compromise the independence of credit rating agencies - Reveals how rating agencies large and small, regulatory bodies, and vested interests interact in setting fees and policies

Organization and Financing of Public Health Services in Europe
Organization and Financing of Public Health Services in Europe

Author: Rechel B.

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 2018-11-20

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 9289051728

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How are public health services in Europe organized and financed? With European health systems facing a plethora of challenges that can be addressed through public health interventions there is renewed interest in strengthening public health services. Yet there are enormous gaps in our knowledge. How many people work in public health? How much money is spent on public health? What does it actually achieve? None of these questions can be answered easily. This volume brings together current knowledge on the organization and financing of public health services in Europe. It is based on country reports on the organization and financing of public health services in nine European countries and an in-depth analysis of the involvement of public health services in addressing three contemporary public health challenges (alcohol obesity and antimicrobial resistance). The focus is on four core dimensions of public health services: organization financing the public health workforce and quality assurance. The questions the volume seeks to answer are: o How are public health services in Europe organized? Are there good practices that can be emulated? What policy options are available? o How much is spent on public health services? Where do resources come from? And what was the impact of the economic crisis? o What do we know about the public health workforce? How can it be strengthened? o How is the quality of public health services being assured? What should quality assurance systems for public health services look like? This study is the result of close collaboration between the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the WHO Regional Office for Europe Division of Health Systems and Public Health. It accompanies two other Observatory publications: Organization and financing of public health services in Europe: country reports and The role of public health organizations in addressing public health problems in Europe: the case of obesity alcohol and antimicrobial resistance.

Health-Care Utilization as a Proxy in Disability Determination
Health-Care Utilization as a Proxy in Disability Determination

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2018-04-02

Total Pages: 161

ISBN-13: 030946921X

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The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers two programs that provide benefits based on disability: the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. This report analyzes health care utilizations as they relate to impairment severity and SSA's definition of disability. Health Care Utilization as a Proxy in Disability Determination identifies types of utilizations that might be good proxies for "listing-level" severity; that is, what represents an impairment, or combination of impairments, that are severe enough to prevent a person from doing any gainful activity, regardless of age, education, or work experience.

Emerging Paradigms in Urban Mobility
Emerging Paradigms in Urban Mobility

Author: Om Prakash Agarwal

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2018-08-30

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 0128114355

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Emerging Paradigms in Urban Mobility: Planning, Finance and Implementation explains the types of new urban mobility planning paradigms that are emerging throughout the world, along with their potential to transform the transportation landscape. As half of the world's 7 billion people now live in cities, thus causing severe road congestion, increased air pollution, energy insecurity and sustainability problems in cities and the planet itself, this book presents new paradigms that are emerging to address these problems, along with other topics of note, including economic efficiency, health, the well-being of cities and their residents, urban mobility transformations, and the role of social media. In addition, the book looks at Integrated Corridor Management and how it improves the people-moving performance of multi-modal transport systems in high demand urban corridors and how countries balance the mobility benefits of motorcycles with the environmental and safety threats they pose. - Provides previously unpublished research on new approaches to integrating governance, the changing role of IT, and shared mobility initiatives - Links transportation and land use, climate change, and poverty reduction and gender, going well beyond the technical issues of transport planning - Highlights successful factors that have worked and how they can be tailored to different contexts - Includes learning aids, such as case studies, text boxes and chapter openers and summaries

Cost Recovery in Public Health Services in Sub-Saharan Africa
Cost Recovery in Public Health Services in Sub-Saharan Africa

Author: Brian Nolan

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 1995-01-01

Total Pages: 118

ISBN-13: 9780821332405

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This report describes and evaluates the ways in which user-fees are currently implemented to finance public health services in Sub- Saharan Africa. It presents the main issues that arise in assessing cost recovery through user fees and evaluates experiences to date. The authors highlight variety of practices encountered in different countries, the too common failure to structure charges so as to promote efficient use, and the lack of effective exemption structures for protecting the poor. The study thoroughly reviews standard cost recovery models and describes an initiative launched in Bamako, Mali, in 1987. Issues, experience, and conclusions are drawn from a sample of 38 countries.