Medical Tourism: Good or Bad?

According to the Telegraph (‘Record numbers go abroad for health‘), “More than 70,000 Britons will have treatment abroad this year – a figure that is forecast to rise to almost 200,000 by the end of the decade.”  Many of these individuals are seeking treatment in countries such as India, Hungary, Turkey, Germany, Malaysia, Poland and…

WSJ on the Dutch Health Care System

Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal (“…Model For U.S. Health-Care System“) investigated recent reforms in the health care system in the Netherlands. New System in Town The new system has the following major characteristics: All individuals must be insured All individuals purchase health insurance on the private market Individuals can choose to get their health insurance…

List Size and Primary Care Production

In Norway, each primary physician assumes medical responsibility for a well-defined population of patients. Norwegian physicians receive approximately NOK 300 (~$50 USD) per patient on their list so their income is largely determined by list size. This capitated payment is supposed to make up 30% of primary physician income with the remainder coming from FFS…

End Stage Renal Disease: An International Comparison

How do medical expenditures affect mortality for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients? Avi Dor, Mark Pauly, Margaret Eichleay and Philip Held try to answer this question with data from 12 developed countries (“ESRD and Economic Incentives“). The authors end up finding that increased expenditures on ESRD have no statistically significant affect on mortality. The correlation…

NHS refuses to provide surgery for smokers

The Times of London reports (“…no surgery until you quit“) that smokers who needed surgery “…would not be added to waiting lists until they had given up smoking.” While there is vast medical evidence that shows the hazards of smoking as well as the fact that smoking reduces recovery time from surgery, should we really…