The population's indicators predict a constant increase in the demand for health care and welfare related services, at least with reference to the most developed countries. In Italy the provision of the aforementioned services is devoluted to the local tier of government. This work focuses on...

Cream skimming is an illegal behaviour that consists in choosing to treat patients according to their ability to recover. It arises from the use of prospective payment schemes in an asymmetry of information framework. In this context in fact the provider can observe some relevant information...

In the market for health care all the actors do not necessarily share the same objectives and the outcome in terms of costs and quality is rather different according to the type of providers involved. The provision of health care services is characterised by uncertainty in the cost of the...

Recent health system reforms have introduced prospective payments and free choice by patients. The expected outcome is efficiency in production and a high quality level for the services provided. The former should be obtained by the prospective payment scheme; the latter by the demand mechanism,...