Expenditures for HIV-infection are driven mainly by drug costs. We identified several clinical variables influencing the costs of HIV-treatment. This information could assist policymakers when allocating limited health care resources to HIV care. </AbstractSection> Copyright Springer-Verlag 2013

Remuneration rates of German nursing homes are prospectively negotiated between long-term care insurance (LTCI) and social assistance on the one side and nursing homes on the other. They differ considerably across regions while there is no evidence for substantial differences in care provision....

This paper investigates the relationship between health outcomes and variations in staffing levels as approximated by admissions on weekdays versus admissions on weekends. Because days of admission are potentially endogenous, we instrument on emergency admissions only, which are reasonably...

If health care expenditure for the elderly grows faster than for younger people, the expenditure profiles become “steeper” – we call that “steeping”. Three instruments for measuring “steeping” are presented: (1) trend of the relation between per capita expenditure of the old and...

This paper examines effects of the German social health insurance system's reference drug program (RDP) for prescription drugs on ex-factory prices. Moreover, we analyze whether manufacturers adapt prices of their products that are not subject to reference pricing as a consequence of changes in...

In 1996, free choice of health insurers was introduced to the German social health insurance system. One objective was to increase efficiency through competition. A crucial precondition for effective competition among health insurers is that consumers search for lower-priced health insurers. We...