This book is a collection of essays by many of the preeminent
scholars in the fi eld of health economics. The authors describe
the development of research on some of today’s most important
issues in health care, and add their own recent fi ndings and
perspectives, to aid the reader in gaining a better understanding
of the role of incentives in choices by patients and providers in
health care.
The purpose of the book is to evaluate the role of incentives and
markets in a variety of health contexts, ranging from demand
decisions—individuals who make choices about the health care services
they consume and the health insurance policies they purchase as
well as their personal health more generally—to supply decisions—by
students who are considering a career in medicine practicing physicians,
hospitals, and pharmaceutical manufacturers.