Market-Oriented, Demand-Driven Health Care Reforms and Equity in Health and Health Care Utilization in Sweden

2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Burström
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
International Comparisons ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Health Care Reforms ◽  
Swedish Health Care ◽  
Care System

In international comparisons, the Swedish health care system has been seen to perform well. In recent years, market-oriented, demand-driven health care reforms aimed at free choice of provider by patients and free establishment of doctors are increasingly promoted in Sweden. The stated objective is to improve access and efficiency in health services and to provide more and/or better services for the money. Swedish health policy aims to provide equal access to care, based on equal need. However, the social and economic gradient in disease and ill health does not translate into the same social and economic gradient in demand for health services. A market-oriented, demand-driven health care system runs the risk of defeating the health policy aims and of further increasing gaps between social groups in access and utilization of health care services, to the detriment of those with greater needs, unless it is coupled with need-based allocation of resources and empowerment of these groups.

Indicating Fields of Inequalities Regarding the Access to Health Benefits

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Landa ◽  
Karolina Skóra
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Access To Health Services ◽  
Web Portal ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
Care System

Restrictions to health services in Poland have been an inspiration to establish Watch Health Care Foundation (WHC). The fundamental disease of the system is namely the disproportion between the amount of the funds and the contents of the package. It causes everywhere the same ’symptoms’ and leads to the same pathological phenomena: queues and other forms of rationing (’guaranteed’) health benefits, corruption, making use of privileges. Foundation uses the potential of information society and available infrastructure (web portal http://www.watchealthcare.eu) and all activities are presented on the website with the aim of influencing the health care system. On the basis of reports of limited access to health services, a ranking is created at WHC web portal, which aims to show what the biggest gaps in access to health services are - this is the way of showing the patient and health care system needs and also one possible approach of continuous education of the health care services consumers targeted at health care systems improvement.

An Analysis of the Role of Health Care in Reducing Socioeconomic Inequalities in Health: The Case of the Netherlands

2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 523-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan P. MaCkenbach
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Socioeconomic Inequalities ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Inequalities In Health ◽  
Socioeconomic Groups ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Care System

The aim of this article is to analyze the role of the health care system in reducing socioeconomic inequalities in health in countries with good access to health services, using the Dutch example. In the past, health care has contributed substantially to reducing a number of health problems in the population, particularly health problems leading to mortality. Data on trends in mortality from selected conditions by socioeconomic group show that both higher and lower socioeconomic groups have profited from these mortality reductions, probably because of largely equal access to essential health care services, and that absolute inequalities in mortality from these conditions have declined notably. The current situation is still one of largely equal financial access to health care services, with relatively small differences between socioeconomic groups in health care utilization, after adjustment for differences in prevalence of health problems. There is no evidence that inequalities in health care utilization contribute to a widening of socioeconomic inequalities in health. Financing of the health care system, however, is slightly regressive, and out-of-pocket payments contribute to the poor financial situation of the chronically ill. For the future, three possible contributions of the health care system to reducing socioeconomic inequalities in health are described: preservation of equal access to high-quality health care; development of specific care packages for lower socioeconomic groups; promotion and support of intersectoral activities.

scholarly journals Colonial Legacies and Collaborative Action: Improving Indigenous Peoples’ Health Care in Canada

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lloy Wylie ◽  
Stephanie McConkey ◽  
Ann Marie Corrado
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Indigenous Health ◽  
Care Practice ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Care System

Indigenous people experience significant health disparities compared to non-Indigenous people, which are exacerbated by less accessible and poorer quality health care services. This research aimed to understand the specific barriers to health care that Indigenous patients and their families face, as well as to explore promising practices and strategies for improving the responsiveness of health services to the needs of Indigenous people. Through qualitative interviews with Indigenous and non-Indigenous health care and social services providers, we identified a range of challenges and successful approaches, and developed recommendations for improving policy and practice to address the gaps in culturally safe health care services. Our study shows that many of the barriers Indigenous people face when accessing health care are rooted in the broader social determinants of health, such as poverty, racism, housing, and education. These are complex problems that are outside of the traditional scope of health care practice. However, this study has also demonstrated that many barriers to equitable care actually stem from within the health care system itself. We found that health care gaps were often attributable to poorly funded on-reserve health care services and culturally unsafe off-reserve services.  Attitudes and practices among those working in health care and gaps in coordination between mainstream and Indigenous services are challenges related to the way the health care system operates. Solutions are needed that address these issues. Given the multifaceted nature of access barriers, strategies to improve health services for Indigenous people and communities require a comprehensive and systemic approach.  

Introducing Data into the Health Policy Process: Developing a Report on the Efficiency of Bed Use in Manitoba

1994 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 46-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noralou P. Roos ◽  
Marni Brownell
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Administrative Data ◽  
Policy Process ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Provincial Government ◽  
Development And Management ◽  
Care System

The Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and Evaluation (MCHPE) is a university-based centre funded by the provincial government to provide analyses for use in policy development and management of the health care system. At the government's request, the MCHPE undertook an analysis of bed use in the major hospitals in the province. This article reviews the formulation, execution and delivery of the project to illustrate how health services researchers, administrative data and key actors in the health care system can interact in the policy process.

scholarly journals Cuidados Bucais em Pacientes Oncopediátricos durante a Pandemia de Covid-19: o Que Está Mudando?

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (TemaAtual) ◽  
Author(s):  
Isis De Araújo Ferreira Muniz ◽  
Fabio Gomes dos Santos ◽  
Ana Maria Gondim Valença ◽  
Simone Alves de Sousa ◽  
Eliane Batista Medeiros-Serpa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
General Population ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Care System

During the last weeks, we are facing a global pandemic which affects the general population and health care system. Observing COVID-19 care, hospitals and health care services are focusing their attention on COVID-19 combat. Considering this emergency, structural and logistic impacts over health services are perceived evidently and conventional routines of multiprofessional teams are being dramatically changed.

scholarly journals Health policy in the Czech Republic: General character and selected interesting aspects

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juraj Nemec ◽  
Marek Pavlík ◽  
Ivan Malý ◽  
Zuzana Kotherová
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
General Character ◽  
Eastern European ◽  
Health Care Reforms ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Government Capacity ◽  
Eastern European Countries ◽  
Care System

Abstract Transformation of the health care system was a task faced by all formerly socialist Central and Eastern European countries. The years of changes revealed a large number of problems, including those induced by the limited capacity of governments to formulate and implement health care reforms. The goal of this article is to reflect the Czech situation. We start by summarizing the historical development of the Czech health care system in the context of government capacity for implementing health policy. In the core parts of this article, we highlight the main features of Czech health policy making and implementation and present an in-depth analysis of two selected country-specific issues - a low level of patient co-payments and a pluralistic insurance-based financing of health services.

Navigating the health care system: perceptions of patients with chronic pain

2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 162-168
Author(s):  
AL Dewar ◽  
K Gregg ◽  
MI White ◽  
J Lander
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Primary Care Physicians ◽  
Treatment Compliance ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Care System

A new framework is needed for patients with chronic pain and their primary care physicians that acknowledges the individual’s experiences and provides evidence-informed education and better linkages to community-based resources. This study describes the experience of 19 chronic-pain sufferers who seek relief via the health care system. Their experiences were recorded through in-depth semistructured interviews and analyzed through qualitative methods. The participants reported early optimism, then disillusionment, and finally acceptance of living with chronic pain. Both individuals with chronic pain and their health care professionals need evidence-informed resources and information on best practices to assist them to manage pain. Empathetic communication between health care professionals and individuals with chronic pain is crucial because insensitive communication negatively affects the individual, reduces treatment compliance and increases health care utilization.

Micro-Level Analysis of Distributional Changes in Health Care Financing in Finland

1998 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Klavus ◽  
Unto Häkkinen
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Health Care Expenditure ◽  
Health Care Financing ◽  
Simulated Data ◽  
Health Care Reforms ◽  
Income Data ◽  
Severe Recession ◽  
Care System

Objectives: In the early 1990s the Finnish economy suffered a severe recession at the same time as health care reforms were taking place. This study examines the effects of these changes on the distribution of contributions to health care financing in relation to household income. Explanations for changes in various indicators of health care expenditure and use during that time are offered. Method: The analysis is based partly on actual income data and partly on simulated data from the base year (1990). It employs methods that allow the estimation of confidence intervals for inequality indices (the Gini coefficient and Kakwani's progressivity index). Results: In spite of the substantial decrease in real incomes during the recession, the distribution of income remained almost unaltered. The share of total health care funding derived from poorer households increased somewhat, due purely to structural changes. The financial plight of the public sector led to the share of total funding from progressive income taxes to decrease, while regressive indirect taxes and direct payments by households contributed more. Conclusions: It seems that, aside from an increased financing burden on poorer households, Finland's health care system has withstood the tremendous changes of the early 1990s fairly well. This is largely attributable to the features of the tax-financed health care system, which apportions the effects of financial and functional disturbances equitably.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document