title: User fees for public health care services in Hungary: expectations, experience, and acceptability from the perspectives of different stakeholders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The introduction of user fees for health care services is a new phenomenon in Central-Eastern European Countries. In Hungary, user fees were first introduced in 2007, but abolished one year later after a referendum. The aim of our study is to describe the experiences and expectations of health system stakeholders in Hungary related to user fees as well as their approval of such fees.
  
  
  METHODS
  For our analysis we use both qualitative and quantitative data from focus-group discussions with health care consumers and physicians, and in-depth interviews with policy makers and health insurance representatives.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our findings suggest that the reasons behind the unpopularity of user fees might be (a) the rejection of the objectives of user fees defined by the government, (b) negative personal experiences with user fees, and (c) the general mistrust of the Hungarian population when it comes to the utilization of public resources.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Successful policy implementation of user fees requires social consensus on the policy objectives, also there should be real improvements in health care provision noticeable for consumers, to assure the fees acceptance.
authors.affiliation: Health Economics and Health Technology Assessment, Research Centre, Corvinus University of Budapest, 8. Fővám Tér, Budapest 1093, Hungary. petra.baji@uni-corvinus.hu
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Baji
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pavlova
authors.forename: László
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gulácsi
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Groot
mesh_terms: D005249:Fees and Charges; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D011634:Public Health / Q000191:economics*; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000191:economics; D035862:Vulnerable Populations