We examine the presence of a systematic preference for independent living at old age which we refer as “institutionalization aversion” (IA). Given that IA is not observable from revealed preferences, we draw on a survey experiment to elicit individuals' willingness to pay (WTP) to avoid...

It is generally accepted that satisfaction with health care is multidimensional and includes many factors removed from the direct delivery of medical services. The analysis seeks to determine if patient satisfaction with health care varies by type of insurance coverage held and whether overall...

Cancer often results in catastrophic health expenditures and creates a huge financial burden for families. We study the impact on patient finances and health outcomes of the national centralized drug procurement program in China for leukemia patients. The program reduced the price of the generic...

Rapid and uncontrolled urbanisation across low and middle-income countries is leading to ever expanding numbers of urban poor, defined here as slum dwellers and the homeless. It is estimated that 828 million people are currently living in slum conditions. If governments, donors and NGOs are to...

When the history of healthcare and insurance in the US is examined, it is clear the patient has become more and more removed from the payment process. Insurers including Medicare moved to pay providers more quickly and eliminated pre-payment by the insured customer beyond a typical small...

Public organisations are subjected to weak incentives for competition. Therefore, institutional Darwinism cannot apply. Regulation and performance monitoring is required to protect the public interest. This is particularly the case of health care organisations, where strong incentives may become...

Consolidation is often considered as a means to lower service delivery costs and enhance accountability. This paper uses a prospective evaluation design to derive estimates of the potential cost savings that may arise from Local Healthcare Authorities (LHAs) amalgamation process, which is...

Annual worldwide spending on medicines is anticipated to exceed $1.2 trillion by 2016. Developing countries, and particularly so-called emerging markets, will account for a substantial portion of the growth in spending on medicines. A good part of global market demand will be satisfied by...

This paper reports on the efforts carried out by England and Scotland to promote the widespread use of telehealthcare within Personal Health Systems (PHS) for patients with chronic conditions. In each setting, it explains the political drive, the trends in empowering patients, the needs for...