The Public-Private Mix For Health

The characteristic of healthcare in rich countries, argues Maynard (health economics, U. of York, UK), is "its resistance to change and the preservation of inefficient practices by management techniques appropriate for Dickensian times." The case studies he presents of financing and provision of public and private health care in the US, the UK, Canada, France, the Scandinavian countries, Germany, New Zealand, and Australia are not all as pessimistic in their assessments of their respective health care systems, although serious difficulties are identified for each, including price barriers, waiting times, and inequity. In addition to the case studies, a number of articles consider more general issues such as the ideological nature of health policy discourse, the evidence for the efficiency (or lack of) of the policy emphasis on purchasing, and the common problems that emerge from the case studies. Annotation c2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)