Abstract
Health economics, as an interdisciplinary science, has experienced exceptionally bold evolution through the past eight decades. Generations of committed scholars have built up huge body of knowledge and developed a set of methodological tools to assist health-care authorities with resource allocation process. Following its conception at the US National Bureau of Economic Research and Ivy League US Universities, this science has spread across the Globe. It has adapted to a myriad of local conditions and needs of the national health systems with diverse historical legacies, medical services provision, and financing patterns. Challenge of financial sustainability facing modern day health systems remains primarily attributable to population aging, prosperity diseases, large scale migrations, rapid urbanization, and technological innovation in medicine. Despite promising developments in developing countries with emerging BRICS markets on the lead, rising out-of-pocket health spending continues to threaten affordability of medical care. Universal health coverage extension will likely remain serious challenge even for some of the most advanced OECD nations. These complex circumstances create strong drivers for inevitable further development of health economics. We believe that this interdisciplinary health science shall leave long-lasting blue print to be visible for decades to come.
Highlights
Reviewed by: Helmut Wenzel, Independent Health Economics Consultant, Germany Krzysztof Kaczmarek, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland
Specialty section: This article was submitted to Health Economics, a section of the journal Frontiers in Public Health
Health economics is the leading interdisciplinary science that bridges the gap between the theory of economics and practice of health care
Summary
Reviewed by: Helmut Wenzel, Independent Health Economics Consultant, Germany Krzysztof Kaczmarek, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland. Large part of preconditions for such an extensive evolution were legislative changes across the Globe driven by the increasing costs of medical cares, slowing-down in economic growth, and the intensifying competition for the limited resources among the sectors of health care. Establishment of national HTA agencies across the world throughout INAHTA-coordinated [34] efforts served as one of the long-term foundation stones, supporting the core place of health economics in health policy.
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