OECD Economics Department Working Papers

ISSN :
1815-1973 (online)
DOI :
10.1787/18151973
Hide / Show Abstract
Working papers from the Economics Department of the OECD that cover the full range of the Department’s work including the economic situation, policy analysis and projections; fiscal policy, public expenditure and taxation; and structural issues including ageing, growth and productivity, migration, environment, human capital, housing, trade and investment, labour markets, regulatory reform, competition, health, and other issues.
 

Health Care Systems

Efficiency and Institutions You or your institution have access to this content

Authors:
Isabelle Joumard1, Christophe André, Chantal Nicq
Author Affiliations
  • 1: OECD, France

Publication Date
19 May 2010
Bibliographic information
No.:
769
Pages
133
DOI
10.1787/5kmfp51f5f9t-en

Hide / Show Abstract

This paper presents a set of indicators to assess health care system performance. It also presents new comparative data on health care policies and institutions for OECD countries. This set of indicators allows the empirical characterisation of health care systems and the identification of groups of countries sharing similar health institutions. It also helps to uncover strengths and weaknesses of each country’s health care system and assessing the scope for improving value-for-money. The empirical analysis suggests that there is room in all countries surveyed to improve the effectiveness of health care spending; there is no health care system that performs systematically better in delivering cost-effective health care – big-bang reforms are therefore not warranted; increasing the coherence of policy settings, by adopting best policy practices within a similar system and borrowing the most appropriate elements from other systems will likely be more practical and effective to raise health care spending efficiency.
Keywords:
efficiency, health care system, public spending, health institutions and policies
JEL Classification:
  • H21: Public Economics / Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue / Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
  • H51: Public Economics / National Government Expenditures and Related Policies / Government Expenditures and Health
  • I11: Health, Education, and Welfare / Health / Analysis of Health Care Markets
  • I12: Health, Education, and Welfare / Health / Health Production
  • I18: Health, Education, and Welfare / Health / Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health