title: Vouchers for chronic disease care.
abstract: This paper explores the economic implications of vouchers for chronic disease management with respect to achieving objectives of equity and efficiency. Vouchers as a payment policy instrument for health care services have a set of properties that suggest they may address both demand-side and supply-side issues, and contribute to equity and efficiency. They provide a means whereby health care services can be targeted at selected groups, enabling consumer choice of provider, and encouraging competition in the supply of health services. This analysis suggests that, when structured appropriately, vouchers can support consumers to choose services that will meet their health care needs and encourage competition among providers. Although they may not be appropriate across the entire health care system, there are features of vouchers that make them a potentially attractive option, especially for the management of chronic disease.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Economics, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia. Jenny.Watts@Buseco.monash.edu.au
authors.forename: Jennifer J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Watts
authors.forename: Leonie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Segal
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy; D003258:Consumer Behavior / Q000191:economics*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D019468:Disease Management; D004465:Economic Competition; D005380:Financing, Government / Q000379:methods*; D019981:Health Care Sector; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007255:Information Services; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000191:economics*