Handbook of health economics

This book provides an accessible and authoritative guide to health economics. The chapters stress the direct impact of health economics reasoning on policy and practice, offering readers an introduction to the potential reach of discipline. Authoritatative, but non-technical, the chapters place great emphasis on the connections between theory and policy-making, and develop the contributions of health economics to problems arising in a variety of institutional contexts, from primary care to the operations of health insurers. Each chapter provides a succinct summary of the current state of economic thinking in a given area, as well as the author's unique perspective on issues that remain open to debate. The volume presents a view of health economics as a vibrant and continually advancing field, highlighting ongoing challenges and pointing to new directions for further progress.