ABSTRACT
From the historical point of view, the story of the development of the private health sector is an interesting one. The health care market is thus becoming of central importance for health care provision. Insured persons with pre-existing conditions, incurable diseases and the dying are excluded from sickness insurance coverage. Consideration of patients' social standing and purchasing power in health care has, in the course of time, led in many countries to multi-layered health systems, featuring both public and private sectors. There is no doubt that the introduction of the private sector and private business working methods has major positive effects on health care provision for the public. Underlying the global growth in health care markets are trends that bring long-term structural changes in health care provision in their wake. One of the most significant long-term trends in the health care market is its growing globalization.
