privately owned hospitals to enter the market. We show that, post-reform, poor and ethnic minority patients were much less … suggest differences in health explain 18% of the difference in the use of private providers between rich and poor patients …

This paper provides a discussion of the Commission's July 2008 proposal for a Directive on the application of patients … patients' rights such as the criteria for "undue delay", in which case authorization for treatment abroad must be granted. The … standard to apply if any authorisation requirements survive. The main innovation of the proposal are new patients' rights to …