title: Health dynamics: implications for efficiency and equity in priority setting.
abstract: Health dynamics are intertemporal fluctuations in health status of an individual or a group of individuals. It has been found in empirical studies of health inequalities that health dynamics can differ systematically across subgroups, even if prevalence measured at one point in time is the same. We explore the relevance of the concept of health dynamics in the context of cost-effectiveness analysis. Although economic evaluation takes health dynamics into account where they matter in terms of efficiency, we find that it fails to take into account the equity dimensions of health dynamics. In addition, the political implications of health dynamics may influence resource allocation decisions, possibly in opposing directions.
authors.affiliation: Healthcare Management Group, Imperial College Business School, London, UK. k.hauck@imperial.ac.uk
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hauck
authors.forename: Aki
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006291:Health Policy / Q000191:economics*; D006292:Health Priorities / Q000191:economics* / Q000592:standards; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D040841:Resource Allocation / Q000191:economics* / Q000592:standards