ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes some of the principal differences and similarities. It focuses on eight key areas: finance, provision, payment systems for hospitals and doctors, the supply of doctors, the extent of patient choice and three areas where there previously has been little comparative information: dental care, out of hospital care and the regulation of pharmaceuticals. The chapter deals with a general discussion of sources of finance for health care expenditure. It aims to examine and compare some of the trends in health care spending among the Member States of the European Union. The principal methodological difficulties that arise in making international comparisons of expenditure trends can be grouped under two headings: classification problems and value comparisons. In Luxembourg prospective budgets take into account activity-related payments, non-activity-related payments for hospital maintenance and lump-sum payments for specific treatments. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
