Medical technological progress has been shown to be the main driver of health care costs. A key policy question is whether new treatment options are worth the additional costs. In this paper we assess the causal effect of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), a major new heart...

Using a randomized field experiment, we show that health care specialists cream-skim patients by their expected profitability. In the German two-tier system, outpatient reimbursement rates for both public and private insurance are centrally determined but are more than twice as high for the...

Using a randomized field experiment, we show that health care specialists cream-skim patients by their expected profitability. In the German two-tier system, outpatient reimbursement rates for both public and private insurance are centrally determined but are more than twice as high for the...

The objectives of this paper are to identify the driving forces of health system performance in Germany as measured by the number of avoidable deaths from ischaemic heart diseases (IHD) and to assess the extent to which health authorities can influence health system performance. We find health...

Healthcare utilization varies widely between regions. Yet, the causes of regional variation are still not well understood, and they can also differ between countries and institutional settings. We exploit patient migration to examine which share of regional variation in ambulatory care use in...

Background: International studies (e.g. Asplin et al. 2005) show that waiting time for inpatient treatment depends on how the claimed services are financed. In Germany there is an ongoing debate about the assumption that privately insured patients do not only receive more benefits than members...

Background: Thailand achieved universal health coverage (UHC) in 2002 by introducing a tax-financed health insurance scheme, the UHC scheme, to approximately 47 million of Thais. With the comprehensive benefit package and clear objectives in ensuring equitable access to essential health care,...

The major aims of the universal health care coverage (UC) program initiated in Thailand in 2002 are not only to increase the access of people to essential health services, but also to reduce the financial risk they face due to out-of-pocket payments for health care. This study employed secondary...

Background: Thailand has achieved universal health coverage since 2002 through the implementation of the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) for 47 million of the population who were neither private sector employees nor government employees. A well performing UCS should achieve health equity goals...

The establishment of universal social security systems has been one of the cornerstones of OECD countries' successful economic and social development and has contributed to reducing poverty and fostering social inclusion in today's rich countries. It is increasingly recognized that universal...