ABSTRACT
Modern healthcare systems face numerous challenges, and the questions of economic efficiency, funding, and the affordability of healthcare services are always present. In economic history, one of the major debates connected to efficiency is the Economic Calculation Problem, which, broadly speaking, concerns the level of centralisation of economic systems. In this chapter, the key arguments of the Economic Calculation debate, the Mises-Hayek critique and the Lange-Lerner model are discussed. The Economic Calculation Problem is then connected to healthcare. In doing so, different types of healthcare system classifications and factors are examined. The main argument is framed in utilitarian terms. More precisely, classic and preference utilitarianisms are adopted. It is argued that healthcare best flourishes in a decentralised system.
