The Economics of Health and Medical Care

There is a dearth of good texts dealing with the economics of health and medical care. Not only are there few books available, but those that are generally suffer the same defect, an emphasis on general economic explanations of a complex, multidimensional industry. The ideal textbook on economics of health and medical care would focus on the unique aspects of this industry, taking basic theoretical and practical information from the wider field of general economics. Unfortunately, most publications do it in the opposite manner. Authors draw primarily from neoclassical economics and add examples from health and medical care that either support the broader economic theory or are in contradistinction to it. The problem is that economics is used almost exclusively to explain diverse phenomena and issues without drawing from other fields such as behavioral theory and without integrating unique theories of the economics of health and medical care. The latest