Social Health Insurance Systems in Western Europe (European Observatory on Health Systems & Policies)

Social Health Insurance Systems in Western Europe (European Observatory on Health Systems & Policies) by Richard Saltman, Reinhard Busse, Josep Figueras

the book systematically examines the logic, history, structure and performance of seven SHI systems in western Europe – Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland – as well as the similarly configured SHI system in Israel. In doing so, it presents SHI systems in a new light, exploring commonalities and disparities between and among these systems. The book also probes a number of key policy issues that can be expected to influence decision-making in SHI countries over the next period of years. Its contribution will be gauged by the degree to which the policy debate about the future of SHI systems in Europe moves beyond individual country arrangements to focus on the long-term prospects for this model in Europe as a whole.

Social Health Insurance Systems in Western Europe (European Observatory on Health Systems & Policies) Contents short overview

• Social health insurance in perspective: the challenge of sustaining stability
• The historical and social base of social health insurance systems 
• Organization and financing of social health insurance systems: current status and recent policy developments
• Patterns and performance in social health insurance systems 
• Assessing social health insurance systems: present and future policy issues The challenge to solidarity
• Governance and (self-)regulation in social health insurance systems
• Solidarity and competition in social health insurance countries
• Key organizational issues eight Shifting criteria for benefit decisions in social health insurance systems
• Contracting and paying providers in social health insurance systems 
• The role of private health insurance in social health insurance countries
• The changing role of the individual in social health insurance systems
• Beyond acute care Prevention and public health in social health insurance systems 
• Long-term care in social health insurance systems

DOWNLOAD