The paper reports from a study that asked 150 interviewees their willingness to pay (WTP) in increased earmarked taxation for three different health care programmes: a helicopter ambulance service, more heart operations and more hip replacements. Reasons behind the stated WTP were asked for....

The question of what rules should be used in determining access to health and health care has been hardly addressed in the public debate on the future of the health service. In the UK, as in other countries, the goal of efficiency (production of output using least cost-methods) has dominated...