In order to keep premium rates for Statutory Health Insurance (SHI) stable, German health policy designed several cost-containment acts since 1989. Within these reform acts budgets for SHI-expenditures were introduced in 1997, and reimbursement schemes were changed from fee-for-service-payments...

Nicht nur vor dem Hintergrund der aktuellen Umfragen ist die Fragestellung des vorliegenden Beitrags dreiteilig. Zunächst geht es um die Frage, was wir über die Akzeptanz der sozialen Marktwirtschaft eigentlich wissen - und wie die empirisch ermittelte Akzeptanz sich zur theoretisch...

Background: Economic theory strongly suggests that better information about the quality of care affects patients’ choice of health service providers. However, we have little empirical evidence about the impact of information provided on provider’s choice in Germany. Problem: In Germany, we...

Like most industrialized countries, Germany’s health care system is facing two major challenges. The first is to find a sustainable financing system for increasing health care expenditures. The second is to ensure – and improve – the quality of care provided. This article describes the...