Abstract
Nordic health systems are amongst the strongest in the developed world. This paper discusses their strengths and lessons for other health systems under five headings: sources of finance, provider payment, organization, regulation, and persuasion. It attributes the good performance of Nordic systems to good governance of the institutions of health care, the behaviour and attitude of citizens, and high levels of cooperation in Nordic countries. The paper notes that there is only modest use of competition or payment incentives in the provider market. It suggests that improving information on the performance of providers and other institutions is an important priority for the future.Published: April 2016.
Highlights
The papers included in this special issue offer an excellent and wide-ranging economic assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of Nordic health systems
The key question prompted by the Nordic experience is whether the utility functions of doctors working in their health systems are malleable, in the sense of being influenced by the dominant medical culture
The Nordic experience offers numerous intriguing messages for other high income countries, and for lower income countries making the transition towards universal health coverage
Summary
The papers included in this special issue offer an excellent and wide-ranging economic assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of Nordic health systems. As Smith and Yip (2016) explain, the reasons for needing to think of the health sector as a system are the immensely complex processes involved in producing improved health, and the countless market failures that arise when seeking to deliver health services This gives rise to a profound need to take policy action in order to protect citizens (both financially and medically), avoid inefficient allocation of resources, reduce inefficiency in. Roberts et al (2008) collapse these into five broad areas: the sources of health system finance; the mechanisms used to pay providers; the organization of insurance and provider markets; the regulation of those markets; and the ‘persuasion’ of individuals and actors outside the health sector to help promote health objectives In this short commentary I offer some personal impressions of the extent to which – based on the papers presented in this special issue - the Nordic experience offers insights of value to policymakers worldwide seeking to improve the performance of their health systems.
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