"Socialized medicine," resource allocation and two-tiered health care--the Danish experience.
This paper describes the present resource allocation problems in the Danish tax-based public health care system and presents an analysis of the two policy options put forward as a solution to these problems: (1) explicit rationing of services, and (2) the introduction of two-tiered health care. It is argued that a two-tiered system with a private second tier is unlikely to be acceptable and viable in Denmark, whereas an introduction of a second tier within the public system may be more acceptable. It is further argued that present implicit rationing methods may be unethical and ought to be replaced by explicit rationing.
Holm
S
S
Department of Medical Philosophy and Clinical Theory, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D003709:Democracy; D003718:Denmark; D004989:Ethics; D015276:Health Care Rationing; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000145:classification* / Q000191:economics; D018579:Patient Selection; D017149:Private Sector; D011634:Public Health; D011640:Public Policy; D017150:Public Sector; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D040841:Resource Allocation; D012935:Social Justice; D013222:State Medicine / Q000191:economics* / Q000458:organization & administration; D013660:Taxes