In 1996 free choice of health insurers has been introduced in the German social health insurance scheme. Competition between insurers was supposed to increase efficiency. A crucial precondition for effective competition among health insurers is that consumers search for lower-priced health...

The concept of managed competition in health care attracts a lot of attention from policy makers not only in Germany but from countries all around the world. The aim of this concept is to increase the efficiency of health care systems as well as maintaining solidarity. Since the health care...

The objectives guiding health care reforms in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands were to increase efficiency and consumer satisfaction in the provision of health care services. This paper sums up incentives and instruments of competition for consumers, sickness funds and health care...