Mossialos, Elias 
ORCID: 0000-0001-8664-9297 and Thomson, Sarah M. S.
(2002)
Voluntary health insurance in the European Union: a critical assessment.
International Journal of Health Services, 32 (1).
19 - 88.
ISSN 0020-7314
Abstract
The authors examine the role and nature of the market for voluntary health insurance in the European Union and review the impact of public policy, at both the national and E.U. levels, on the development of this market in recent years. The conceptual framework, based on a model of industrial analysis, allows a wide range of policy questions regarding market structure, conduct, and performance. By analyzing these three aspects of the market for voluntary health insurance, the authors are also able to raise questions about the equity and efficiency of voluntary health insurance as a means of funding health care in the European Union. The analysis suggests that the market for voluntary health insurance in the European Union suffers from significant information failures that seriously limit its potential for competition or efficiency and also reduce equity. Substantial deregulation of the E.U. market for voluntary health insurance has stripped regulatory bodies of their power to protect consumers and poses interesting challenges for national regulators, particularly if the market is to expand in the future. In a deregulated environment, it is questionable whether this method of funding health care will encourage a more efficient and equitable allocation of resources.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Official URL: | https://journals.sagepub.com/home/JOH |
| Additional Information: | © 2002 Baywood Publishing Co, Inc |
| Divisions: | Health Policy |
| Subjects: | R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine |
| Date Deposited: | 24 Oct 2008 13:47 |
| Last Modified: | 13 Nov 2024 00:07 |
| URI: | http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/18942 |
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