Empirical Health Economics for Evidence-Based Policies: Some Lessons From Italy
Abstract
This chapter pays tribute to Andrew Jones' research in health programme evaluation, health-risky behaviour and income-related health inequalities by reviewing policy-relevant empirical studies in these domains using Italian data. In the first section, We discuss the impact of reimbursement systems on healthcare behaviour, particularly the transition from incurred-cost-based to prospective systems in hospitals. We explore incentive-driven practices like up-coding and cream skimming, while also considering the potential advantages of primary care incentives and the mixed outcomes associated with cost-sharing schemes. The second section delves into health-risk behaviours in Italy, encompassing substance use, preventive healthcare and responses to health information. The last section presents some evidence on socioeconomic status (SES)-related health disparities and discusses the necessity of accounting for these factors in the Italian National Health Service (NHS)'s resource allocation formula in line with British NHS experience.
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Acknowledgements
Acknowledgement
Both authors are indebted to Andrew. Working alongside him has enriched us professionally and personally. Vincenzo Carrieri acknowledges PRIN-Next Generation EU grant P202223J4J ‘The Economic Returns and Distributional Effects of Hospital Public Spending for Technological Progress in Health Care’.
Citation
Carrieri, V. and Principe, F. (2024), "Empirical Health Economics for Evidence-Based Policies: Some Lessons From Italy", Baltagi, B.H. and Moscone, F. (Ed.) Recent Developments in Health Econometrics (Contributions to Economic Analysis, Vol. 297), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 111-125. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0573-855520240000297006
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2024 Vincenzo Carrieri and Francesco Principe. Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited