Description: Health care is absorbing an increasing share of resources in all countries. It is the task of public policy to ensure that the nation secures good quality attention at an affordable price. This book, distinguishing clearly between health status and health care, examines the ways in which governments can keep down morbidity and mortality while also ensuring that treatments are medically justifiable, economically cost-effective and socially equitable. Ignorance, uncertainty, asymmetrical information, professional monopolies, insurance and poverty all mean that the market by itself is not enough. Pragmatic intervention is also required to ensure that felt wellbeing and social justice are delivered in combination with value for money. Health Care and Public Policy is a comprehensive and intelligible cross-disciplinary account of the objectives of health care policy (medical, social, economic) and of the policy-tools that government can employ (cost benefit analysis, entry barriers, competition) in order to ensure that scarce resources are not wasted nor needy social groups deprived of basic and affordable care. Health policy is hotly debated in all countries. This cross-national book is timely and relevant. It will be of special interest to academics and students who want to deepen their understanding of health economics, social policy and administration, public policy and government, political economy and the logic of institutions.
Table of  Contents

1      Introduction : a thing apart?        1

2      Health status and health care      8

3      Needs and wants                       39

4      Payment for health                     76

5      The value of life                        108

6      Efficiency                                  143

7      Utility                                      187

8      Equity and equality                    214

9      Equality and health                    236

10    Cost                                         274

11    Conclusion : containing the cost     292