Jan Abel Olsen

Principles in Health Economics and Policy, second edition, is a concise introduction to health economics and its application to health policy. It introduces the subject of economics, explains the fundamental failures in the market for healthcare, and discusses the concepts of equity and fairness when applied to health and healthcare. This new edition presents a globally-relevant, policy-oriented approach, that emphasizes the application of economic analysis to universal health policy issues in an accessible manner. It explores four key questions currently facing health policy-makers across the globe: How should society intervene in the determinants that affect health? How should healthcare be financed? How should healthcare providers be paid? And, how should alternative healthcare programmes be evaluated when setting priorities? The book is an ideal guide to everyone interested in how the tools of health economics can be applied when shaping health policy.

Hvordan skape 'mest mulig helse for pengene' - til de som trenger det mest? Dette er en grundig innføring i faget helseøkonomi skrevet og tilrettelagt for studenter innenfor medisin og helsefagene. Lettfattelig og oversiktlig presenterer forfatteren sentrale modeller som ligger til grunn for hvordan helsevesenet kan finansieres, og hvordan helseforbedringer og kostnadseffektivitet kan beregnes. Ledere og andre som er interessert i eller arbeider med organisering, økonomistyring og prioriteringer i helsevesenet vil ha stor nytte av boka. Hvert kapittel har oppgaver for diskusjon og refleksjon, samt en oversikt over anbefalt litteratur for videre lesing.

This is a new health economics textbook with a difference. It is based firmly in the discipline of economics and, as such, it fills a gap in the health economics market. But, unlike other texts in the area, it is very explicit about the distributive implications of economic models and it provides clear rationale for public involvement in the market for health care. It separates the efficiency reasons for public involvement (based on notions of 'market failure') from the equity reasons (based on the views of society that health care should be distributed according to the notion of health needs rather than according to ability to pay). The book illustrates the distributional aspects of money flows in the financing and provision of health care, and discusses who are the gainers and who are the losers under different financing arrangements. A central part of the book contains a discussion of those techniques that are increasingly being used to aid decisions about how to distribute health care. Beyond the parameters included in economic evaluation techniques such as cost- benefit analysis and cost-effectiveness analysis, the book discusses some key ethical issues that are relevant for decision-makers when setting health care priorities.