The state and healthcare : comparing OECD countries

The economic crises of the 1970s marked the end of the 'Golden Age' of the welfare state and triggered a broad range of cost containment measures in OECD countries. In the healthcare sector the difficulties of cutting back state involvement are largely caused by the fact that the legitimacy of health systems is based on their capability to provide a satisfactory standard of healthcare for all citizens, irrespective of their ability to pay for it. Hence, the divergent healthcare system types of the heydays of the welfare state which were characterized by the distinct role of the state have now changed profoundly. Combining cross-sectional studies on healthcare financing, provision and policy values with in-depth country studies of Britain, Germany and the US, this volume argues that divergent healthcare system types are now converging toward hybrid forms