Innovations in Health Care Financing : Proceedings of a World Bank Conference, March 10-11, 1997 Book

This volume contains thirteen papers presented at the World Bank Conference on Innovations in Health Care Financing, held in Washington, DC, which consider the broad range of issues relating to the financing of health care systems in low- and middle-income countries. Both the conceptual and operational policy contexts for introducing changes in health care financing are explored. The overview paper describes demographic, epidemiological, service delivery, and health expenditure patterns for both industrial and developing nations; analyzes the range of public and private revenue-raising instruments from both conceptual perspectives and real-world experiences; and provides general perspectives for health financing reforms in each of the world's six regions. Presentations treat traditional public and private financing approaches together with more recent methods, such as medical savings accounts and managed competition; and issues particularly relevant to low-income countries, including user charges and informal rural risk-pooling schemes. Case studies from each developing region are used to highlight the various approaches.