This report provides the first-ever comparative analysis of the role and performance of private health insurance (PHI) in OECD countries.

What is the impact of private health insurance (PHI) on health systems? How does it affect coverage of and access to health care services? What risks and opportunities does it pose for cost pressures on health systems? How does PHI improve responsiveness to consumers' choice and needs, and what is its impact on quality of care? What regulatory mechanisms and financial incentives can encourage equity, efficiency, and responsiveness from different insurance mixes and PHI markets? This report provides the first-ever comparative analysis of the role and performance of private health insurance (PHI) in OECD countries. It analyses PHI markets and identifies policy issues arising from their interdependence with publicly financed health coverage schemes. The report assesses the impactof PHI against health policy objectives, paying special attention to the challenges and benefits associated with different insurance mixes. The analysis identifies strengths as well as areas where private health insurance might pose challenges to health system performance. This report shows how governments can help ensure that PHI markets make a positive contribution to the performance of health systems. Examples of useful practices for developing more efficient and equitable health insurance markets are also presented.

Basing his report on research conducted from 1997 to 2002, J tting (OECD Development Centre, France) argues that the social security and health of rural populations in developing countries have been under-studied compared to production-related factors of sustainable development. Criticizing the traditional approach that believes that a shift from a

This book examines the challenges countries are facing with regard to providing and paying for long-term care.

This book provides a framework to understand why there are waiting lists for elective surgery in some OECD countries and not in others. It also describes how waiting times are measured in OECD countries and reviews different policy approaches to tackling excessive waiting times.

Health at a Glance provides a comprehensive set of indicators on population health and health system performance across OECD members and key emerging economies. This edition has a special focus on the health impact of COVID-19 in OECD countries, including deaths and illness caused by the virus, adverse effects on access and quality of care, and the growing burden of mental ill-health.

No two markets for voluntary health insurance (VHI) are identical. All differ in some way because they are heavily shaped by the nature and performance of publicly financed health systems and by the contexts in which they have evolved. This volume contains short structured profiles of markets for VHI in 34 countries in Europe. These are drawn from European Union member states plus Armenia Iceland Georgia Norway the Russian Federation Switzerland and Ukraine. The book is aimed at policy-makers and researchers interested in knowing more about how VHI works in practice in a wide range of contexts. Each profile written by one or more local experts identifies gaps in publicly-financed health coverage describes the role VHI plays outlines the way in which the market for VHI operates summarises public policy towards VHI including major developments over time and highlights national debates and challenges. The book is part of a study on VHI in Europe prepared jointly by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the WHO Regional Office for Europe. A companion volume provides an analytical overview of VHI markets across the 34 countries.