Public expenditure programs: Health Care

The objective of this part of the course is to introduce and discuss individual public sub-system – country healthcare system – associated processes and trends. To the seminar you should be also able to discuss about characteristics, specifics and (dis)advantages of those sub-systems in national as well as international perspective. Very welcomed are also your home experience and the ability of international comparison. 

For the purposes of a group discussion please prepare/answer the following topics/questions (use materials from assigned reading which are specified below and available in studying materials for this part of the course in information system of the faculty or in the faculty library):

• What should be the aim of national healthcare policy? Discuss the issues of justice, solidarity, profitability and other in the field of healthcare provisioning.
• Identify and describe in general national healthcare system in the Czech Republic and in your home country and make a comparison based on following criteria:  
  • key actors and structure (healthcare model)
  • main principles and system parameters
  • main specifics and problems
  • associated expenditures and revenues
  • recent trends
• Could you compare it and identify (dis)advantages of both systems?
• Identify main trends in the Czech and your national NHS since 1989.
• Identify payment mechanisms in Czech NHS, discuss their efficiency and usefulness according the systems settings. (eg. regulation fee, private contribution payment etc.)
• Could you identify different NHS models worldwide from the perspective of funding or generally?
• Discuss the issue of PPP in healthcare system, its viability and usefulness.

Assigned reading

Main source

• Hnilicová, H. Organization and administration of health system in the Czech Republic. Online. Available at: <http://usm.lf1.cuni.cz/download/Organization-and-administration-of-health-system.pdf>

Supplementary sources

• Ministry of health of the Czech Republic (2015). Basic information about the Czech national health care system for foreigners. Online. Available at: < http://www.mzcr.cz/en/#>
  • General principles
  • Relevan legislation
  • Health insurers in CR
  • Organization of the healthcare system in CR
  • Regulation fees
• Kinkorová, J. and Topolčan, O. (2012) Overview of healthcare system in the Czech Republic. The EPMA Journal. Online. Available at: < http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3375100/pdf/1878-5085-3-4.pdf>
• Hillman, A. L. (2009) Public Finance and Public Policy: Responsibilities and limitations of government. Cambridge University Press, 2nd edition. FIN 1538 (Available at Library at Faculty of Economics and Administration).   
• PNHP (2010). Health Care Systems - Four Basic Models. Online. Available at: <http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/health_care_systems_four_basic_models.php>