Market Limits in Health Reform

This text explores the deep-rooted tensions between publicly-funded health care systems and the dynamics of public markets to deliver privately-financed health care. International authorities in the field lay bare the limitations of market-led health reform and demonstrate the indispensable role of a vibrant public authority in the renewal of modern health care systems. Issues covered include: cost-containment and privatization strategies in an international perspective; the role of business and the private sector in setting the agenda for health care reform; the restructuring of Anglo-Saxon health systems and the shift in state/market boundaries in Canada, US, Britain and Australia; the frontier of health care reform in terms of health and social cohesion; and the role of patient choice in health care reform.