Why do people buy health insurance? Conventional theory holds that people purchase insurance because they prefer the certainty of paying a small premium to the risk of getting sick and paying a large medical bill. This book presents a new theory of consumer demand for health insurance. It holds that people purchase insurance to obtain additional "income" when they become ill.

The Theory of Social Health Insurance develops the theory of social health insurance also known as public health insurance. While a good deal is known about the demand and supply of private insurance, the theoretical basis of social health insurance is much more fragile. The Theory of Social Health Insurance examines questions including why does social health insurance exist and even dominate private health insurance in most developed countries? What are the objectives and constraints of social health insurance managers? What is the likely outcome or "performance" of social health insurance? The Theory of Social Health Insurance reviews the conventional theory of demand for insurance and health insurance, the supply of health insurance in general and social health insurance in particular, the properties of the optimal health insurance contract, and whether there are factors limiting the growth of social health insurance.

Addressing the challenge of covering heath care expenses—while minimizing economic risks. Moral hazard—the tendency to change behavior when the cost of that behavior will be borne by others—is a particularly tricky question when considering health care. Kenneth J. Arrow’s seminal 1963 paper on this topic (included in this volume) was one of the first to explore the implication of moral hazard for health care, and Amy Finkelstein—recognized as one of the world’s foremost experts on the topic—here examines this issue in the context of contemporary American health care policy. Drawing on research from both the original RAND Health Insurance Experiment and her own research, including a 2008 Health Insurance Experiment in Oregon, Finkelstein presents compelling evidence that health insurance does indeed affect medical spending and encourages policy solutions that acknowledge and account for this. The volume also features commentaries and insights from other renowned economists, including an introduction by Joseph P. Newhouse that provides context for the discussion, a commentary from Jonathan Gruber that considers provider-side moral hazard, and reflections from Joseph E. Stiglitz and Kenneth J. Arrow. “Reads like a fireside chat among a group of distinguished, articulate health economists.” —Choice

A seminal work in health economics first published in 1972, Michael Grossman's The Demand for Health introduced a new theoretical model for determining the health status of the population. His work uniquely synthesized economic and public health knowledge and has catalyzed a vastly influential body of health economics literature. It is well past time to bring this important work back into print. Grossman bases his approach on Gary S. Becker's household production function model and his theory of investment in human capital. Consumers demand health, which can include illness-free days in a given year or life expectancy, and then produce it through the input of medical care services, diet, other market goods and services, and time. Grossman also treats health and knowledge as equal parts of the durable stock of human capital. Consumers therefore have an incentive to invest in health to increase their earnings in the future. From here, Grossman examines complementarities between health capital and other forms of human capital, the most important of which is knowledge capital earned through schooling and its effect on the efficiency of production. He concludes that the rate of return on investing in health by increasing education may exceed the rate of return on investing in health through greater medical care. Higher income may not lead to better health outcomes, as wealth enables the consumption of goods and services with adverse health effects. These are some of the major revelations of Grossman's model, findings that have great relevance as we struggle to understand the links between poverty, education, structural disadvantages, and health.

Gives an understanding of the economic theory underlying health economics, supplemented with practical case study material to show how the theory has been applied.

"As a relatively new subdiscipline of economics, health economics has made many contributions to areas of the main discipline, such as insurance economics. This volume provides a survey of the burgeoning literature on the subject of health economics." {source : site de l'éditeur].

The Economics of Health and Health Care is the market-leading health economics textbook, providing comprehensive coverage of all the key topics, and balancing economic theory, empirical evidence, and public policy. The ninth edition offers updated material throughout, including two new chapters: Disparities in Health and Health Care (Chapter 7) examines issues of race, ethnicity, income, gender, and geography with respect to health care access, health inputs, and health outcomes; Pandemic Economics (Chapter 9) introduces a new and simplified economic treatment of epidemics and pandemics within the context of COVID-19. We also include applications from the growing literature on digital medicine. The book further highlights the impacts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and updates its path-breaking comparative analyses across countries to focus on the differences in access and costs. The book continues to provide a clear, step-by-step understanding of health economics, making economic principles accessible to students, supported by boxed examples, figures and tables. Each chapter contains concise summaries, discussion questions, and quantitative exercises to promote student learning. There is also a glossary of key terms and an extensive reference list. Instructors are supported by a range of digital supplements. It is the perfect textbook for students and practitioners taking undergraduate and postgraduate courses in health economics, health policy, and public health.