Written by health policy experts, the book gives a comprehensive overview of 8 different national health care systems and focuses in particular on the different approaches to maintain efficiency and to contain overall healthcare costs.

In all four countries health care expenditures grow while the revenue remains at the same level or even shrinks in many cases. Due to medical progress, ageing and many other factors the gap is widening over time. The pay-as-you-go approach is running against limits either with rising employer...