This primer aims to provide IMF macroeconomists with the essential information they need to address issues concerning health sector policy, particularly when they have significant macroeconomic implications. Such issues can also affect equity and growth and are fundamental to any strategy of...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the impact of contracts on general practise in the UK National Health Service. In particular, it is concerned with the response of practitioners to the apparent flexibilities offered in the new contract with its focus on outcomes rather than...

This paper investigates the consequences that patients face when their regular primary care provider closes down her practice, typically due to retirement. We estimate the causal impact of closures on patients' utilization patterns, medical expenditures, hospitalizations, and health plan choice....