Factors affecting the supply of private hospital beds in the UK: private insurance, NHS pay beds, or NHS waiting list?
This study attempts to isolate the determinants of private hospital growth in the United Kingdom. Thirty-six variables, representing private medicine, the socio-economic environment, the political and government conditions, and the health care systems characteristics were selected for analysis. Multiple regression analysis shows that the number of independent hospital beds in the UK can be explained almost entirely by the number of persons with private health insurance, the number of NHS pay beds, and the overall bed level. Further analysis reveals that the number of persons with private health insurance can be explained to a large extent by the length of the NHS waiting list.
Yuen
P P
PP
Department of Management, Hong Kong Polytechnic.
D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006302:Health Services Research; D006742:Hospital Bed Capacity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016304:Hospitals, Private / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000600:supply & distribution* / Q000639:trends; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D015233:Models, Statistical; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011057:Politics; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013222:State Medicine / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006113:United Kingdom; D014850:Waiting Lists