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Health care expenditure in the oecd countries: efficiency and regulation

Author

Listed:
  • Pablo Hernández de Cos

    (Banco de España)

  • Enrique Moral-Benito

    (Banco de España)

Abstract

The containment of health care expenditure is one of the major challenges facing public policymakers in the developed countries. This paper provides evidence of significant differences in the cross-country level of efficiency of health care expenditure, meaning that potential cost savings for the countries considered least efficient might be very high. Further, a significant relationship is found between the various health care policies and institutions in the OECD countries and the efficiency levels of health care systems. The findings are, however, highly sensitive to the efficiency-estimation methodology used.

Suggested Citation

  • Pablo Hernández de Cos & Enrique Moral-Benito, 2011. "Health care expenditure in the oecd countries: efficiency and regulation," Occasional Papers 1107, Banco de España.
    • Handle: RePEc:bde:opaper:1107
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    File URL: http://www.bde.es/f/webbde/SES/Secciones/Publicaciones/PublicacionesSeriadas/DocumentosOcasionales/11/Fich/do1107e.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Jacob Novignon & Solomon Olakojo & Justice Nonvignon, 2012. "The effects of public and private health care expenditure on health status in sub-Saharan Africa: new evidence from panel data analysis," Health Economics Review, Springer, vol. 2(1), pages 1-8, December.
    2. Novignon, Jacob & Nonvignon, Justice, 2015. "Fiscal space for health in Sub-Saharan African countries: an efficiency approach," MPRA Paper 63015, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Novignon, Jacob & Lawanson, Akanni, 2014. "Efficiency of health systems in sub-Sahara Africa: a comparative analysis of time varying stochastic frontier models," MPRA Paper 56897, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Samer Hamidi & Fevzi Akinci, 2016. "Measuring Efficiency of Health Systems of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region Using Stochastic Frontier Analysis," Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 337-347, June.
    5. Novignon, Jacob, 2015. "On the efficiency of public health expenditure in Sub-Saharan Africa: Does corruption and quality of public institutions matter?," MPRA Paper 39195, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Health care expenditure; efficiency;

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • H51 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Health

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