Sets In Motion

Developing countries, confronted with increased demand for health services, are seeking alternative methods for funding these services through a variety of methods, including user charges, private health insurance, community-based financing, and earmarked payroll and general taxation. This book provides a framework for assessing national health financing by drawing on the experiences of industrial countries that have a longer history in addressing the issue. The framework is designed for the assessment of national health financing in terms of what are policy concerns in all health systems: coverage, accessibility to financing, overall affordability, efficiency in the supply and financing of services, innovation, and consumer choice. The book also discusses a number of policy issues arising from the use of the framework. It uses the experience of six industrial countries--Canada, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States--to illustrate the results of different approaches in the pursuit of health care policy objectives