Università della Svizzera italiana

Statutory health insurance competition in Europe : a four-country comparison

Thomson, Sarah ; Busse, Reinhard ; Crivelli, Luca ; Van de Vend ; Van de Voordee, Carine

In: Health policy, 2013, vol. 109, no. 3, p. 209-225

This article considers the potential for insurer competition to improve health system performance by strengthening purchasing. Economic theory suggests that insurer competition will enhance efficiency if: (1) people have free choice of insurer, (2) competition is based on price and quality rather than risk selection and (3) insurers have tools to influence health care costs and quality. The...