This paper considers an issue that has received little attention in the literature on health state evaluation: the relevance of the ex ante/ex post distinction in the assessment of quality of life. Ex post evaluations are based on experience of the health state being evaluated. Ex ante...

This “Working Paper” consists of two documents. The first is a submission to the Productivity Commission inquiry “Implications of an Ageing Australia”. The second is a Research Note “Why Ageing is Unlikely to be a Problem for the Health Sector”. This was the key document submitted to...

The purpose of the report by Applied Economics was to determine whether or not the community’s expenditures on public health have been justified by the benefits obtained from them. Additionally, however the study extends the time frame and, on the basis of the historical evidence, seeks to...

It has been proposed that cross-country comparisons of the technical efficiency of health production, estimated using data envelopment analysis (DEA), have useful applications for policy makers. In theory such an analysis utilises measures of the socioeconomic determinants of health relevant to...

One of the clearest predictions of economic theory is that an autonomous increase in supply will depress the price which equilibriates supply and demand. However, US evidence with respect to medical fees has been perverse: higher fees have been observed in areas with more doctors even after...

The objective of this paper is to compare the cost effectiveness of opportunistic nuchal translucency ultrasound screening in pregnancy with alternative screening strategies for trisomy 21 in Australia. Methods used is a decision analytic model of various pregnancy screening strategies based on...

Many developed countries are net recipients of skilled health professionals from developing countries. Potentially these movements provide major economic benefits to developed countries. The distribution of any benefits and any associated health and social costs, however, need investigation that...

The theme of this paper is that recent and proposed health policy in Australia has focused upon issues of relatively minor significance while failing to adequately address major inequities and system deficiencies which have significant effects upon mortality, the quality of life and the fairness...