Incoherent policies on universal coverage of health insurance and promotion of international trade in health services in Thailand

The Thai government has implemented universal coverage of health insurance since October 2001. Universal access to antiretroviral (ARV) drugs has also been included since October 2003. These two policies have greatly increased the demand for health services and human resources for health, particularly among public health care providers. After the 1997 economic crisis, private health care providers, with the support of the government, embarked on new marketing strategies targeted at attracting foreign patients. Consequently, increasing numbers of foreign patients are visiting Thailand to seek medical care. In addition, the economic recovery since 2001 has greatly increased the demand for private health services among the Thai population. The increasing demand and much higher financial incentives from urban private providers have attracted health personnel, particularly medical doctors, from rural public health care facilities. Responding to this increasing demand and internal brain drain, in mid-2004 the Thai government approved the increased production of medical doctors by 10,678 in the following 15 years. Many additional financial incentives have also been applied. However, the immediate shortage of human resources needs to be addressed competently and urgently. Equity in health care access under this situation of competing demands from dual track policies is a challenge to policy makers and analysts. This paper summarizes the situation and trends as well as the responses by the Thai government. Both supply and demand side responses are described, and some solutions to restore equity in health care access are proposed.     

我国医疗卫生体制改革若干问题的思考与建议

对我国医疗卫生体制改革进行了分析与讨论,认为我国的医疗卫生体制改革与发展应遵循的原则是公平优先、政府主导、需要导向;在改革中应处理好公平与效率、政府与市场、基本卫生服务范围、公立医疗体系规模等问题。建议加强医疗保障制度建设,探索有效规范医疗机构行为的措施,制定区域性卫生发展规划,以实现卫生事业的健康协调发展。     

美国医改实施的进展、前景与启示

美国医改实施三年来,在扩大医保可及性、改革医疗服务市场、降低医疗费用和改进服务质量方面取得较大进展,但许多触及既得利益集团的核心改革政策如建立保险交易所、改革支付方式、削减部分福利项目、提高富人税率等开源节流措施尚未正式启动,这将成为奥巴马连任后面临的主要挑战。美国医改鼓励服务的整合、改革支付制度、重视预防保健服务等做法值得中国医改借鉴,同时以商业医疗保险为主导的保险体系暴露出的弊端也启示中国政府以更加审慎的态度发展商业医疗保险。     

民营医疗行业政策特点及影响分析

国务院《关于促进健康服务业发展的若干意见》提出了政府引导、充分发挥市场和社会的积极性和创造性的指导思想,并且提出了一系列推动社会办医的配套措施和政策,是我国民营医疗发展的一个重要里程碑,为民营医疗和社会资本办医开创了新的空间。然而,民营医疗在我国的发展仍任重而道远。     

Selected myths guiding the Reagan Administration's health policies

This article analyzes four major assumptions that guide the Reagan Administration's health policies: 1) the Administration received an overwhelming popular mandate to reduce the federal role in the U.S. health sector; 2) the size and growth of federal social (including health) expenditures are contributing to the current economic recession; 3) the costs to business of federally imposed health and safety regulations have contributed to making the U.S. economy less competitive; and 4) market intervention is intrinsically more efficient than government intervention in regulating the costs and distribution of health resources. Based on these assumptions, the main characteristics of the Reagan Administration's health policies have been 1) a reduction of federal health expenditures and, very much in particular, expenditures to the poor, handicapped, and elderly; 2) a weakening of federal health and safety regulations to protect workers, consumers, and the environment; and 3) the further privatization and commodification of medical services. This article shows that there is no evidence to support the assumptions on which these policies are based. Quite to the contrary, all available evidence shows the opposite: 1) the majority of Americans want an expansion of federal health expenditures and a strengthening of federal health regulation; 2) U.S. government expenditures and regulations are much more limited than those of other countries whose economies are performing more satisfactorily; and 3) those countries with larger government interventions have more efficient health care systems than the American one, where the "free market" forces are primarily responsible for the allocation of resources. Thus, major Reagan Administration health policies are based on myth rather than reality.     

公立医院财政补助制度失灵的原因及改进建议

本文剖析了公立医院财政补助制度失灵的原因,通过理论和案例分析提出了从根本上改变财政补助机制的思路和方法。首先回顾了政策的历史变迁,分析了财政补助前期研究的问题,提出了对当前财政补助的目标、内容和方式的可操作方案。然后通过某市13家三甲医院的财务数据,剖析了目前公立医院的基本运营状况和财政补助存在的问题,发现在没有界定合理诊疗规范和运营效率的前提下,政策性亏损是无法界定的。如果按照目前公立医院的诊疗方式和运营效率,财政补助不足以弥补公立医院由于政策原因造成的亏损,因为财政补助没有与价格政策变化和人力成本上升配套。要改善财政补助失灵的状况,配套的管理成本也随之增加,因此,政府应考虑改变目前通过价格控制和财政补助的方式提供经济性医疗服务的思路,由医疗保险与医院决定价格,卫生部门负责服务质量,政府预算部门根据公共服务任务制定工资总额,医院根据预算决定聘任各种医务人员,从根本上改变公立医院的运营机制。     

新时期中古卫生改革比较研究及启示

古巴和中国在社会制度、政治体制以及在卫生改革历程方面有很多共同点,但也存在一些差异。本研究比较了新的历史时期,古巴和中国的卫生改革情况,借鉴古巴卫生改革的基本原则和思路,为中国卫生体制改革提出了政府应重新理解和定位社区卫生服务,确立医疗卫生主导地位,调动医务人员积极性,坚持医学教育规划与卫生资源市场调研以及要将市场和政府监管结合起来等建议。     

发挥市场机制 切实推进医疗服务体制改革

＂使市场在资源配置中起决定性作用和更好发挥政府作用＂是中国深化改革的核心。中国医疗服务市场的问题日益突出,根源在于忽略了市场的力量、市场的机制及市场经济的大环境、大前提。因此要发挥市场机制作用,切实推进医疗服务体制改革——划分政府与市场职责,解开对公立医疗机构的种种束缚,多利用经济、信息的手段。     

对深化医药卫生体制改革的再认识——学习《中共中央关于全面深化改革若干重大问题的决定》体会

以党的十八届三中全会通过的《中共中央关于全面深化改革若干重大问题的决定》为指导,进一步分析了我国医药卫生体制改革进展和瓶颈,对医疗卫生服务的产品属性、市场和市场在医疗卫生服务领域的作用、拓展和深化医药卫生体制和公立医院改革走向进行了剖析。文蕈认为：深化医药卫生体制改革应该从系统论观点出发,针对医疗卫生服务的复杂性．在界定不同医疗卫生服务产品属性的基础上,明确政府和市场的责任：统筹规划医疗卫生资源,进一步完善医药卫生的管理体制和运行机制,特别是公立医院的管理体制和运行机制,扭转公立医院的趋利倾向,向全体居民提供公平、可及、支付得起的公共卫生和基本医疗卫生服务：鼓励社会办医,满足广大人民群众不断增长的、多层次的医疗卫生服务需求。     

系统提升乡镇卫生院政府投入绩效的策略：理论框架与实证分析

新医改背景下乡镇卫生院综合改革说明政府对基层卫生投入的长效和保障机制正逐步形成,研究提高财政投入绩效具有重要意义。卫生系统是复杂性系统,本研究运用卫生系统绩效框架和机构治理模式理论,结合对广东省15个县市的现场调研,对乡镇卫生院政府投入绩效可能存在的机构效率、县域三级卫生服务体系整体效率和政府卫生投入方式等问题和原因进行了剖析。最后提出系统性提升乡镇卫生院政府卫生投入绩效,应高度重视县域农村医疗卫生服务体系改革的顶层设计;政府各职能部门间的政策制定应相互契合良性互动;要建立基于县域医疗卫生均等化下的符合卫生规律的财政卫生转移支付模式。     

"后SARS时代"建立农村健康保障制度的再思考

分析了SARS在全国的流行趋势和农村潜在流行的原因。总结了防治SARS的财政政策和措施的效果。指出今后要重视基本的公共卫生应急体系、医疗卫生系统补偿机制和农村健康保障制度的“三项建设”。在“后SARS时代”应该考虑各种长效、基础制度的建设。政府的卫生投入应该从供方转向需方,落实到农村健康保障制度的建立。     

Primary health care in China: problems and challenges]

The World Health Organization (WHO) put forward a global strategy goal of "Health for All by year 2000" and pointed out the task of achieving this based on the primary health care (PHC) during the Alma-Ate Conference in 1978. The government of China have endorsed the WHO agreement and performed much work toward it. However, the gap between urban areas and rural areas is widening. The accomplishment of the goal of "Health for All by the year 2000" is still a critical task in China. In this study, main health problems, government policies and measures on the framework of quality of life, health status, lifestyle and health-supporting environment, medical, health and welfare system and health policies in PHC of China were diagnosed and evaluated according to the "diagnosis and evaluation for health promotion" by Green and Kreuter (1991). Japanese experiences in a combined medical, health and welfare system, elderly care, environmental protection and health education are very helpful to strengthen PHC in China. A new partnership for "Health for All" between Japan and China to achieve the goal of "Health for All by the year 2000" is imperative.     

Neighborhood characteristics and hospital closures: A comparison of the public,private and voluntary hospital systems

This paper analyzes the neighborhood distribution of hospital closures in New York City between 1970 and 1981. Discriminant analysis procedures are used to compare the social, economic and health status characteristics of neighborhoods in which hospitals have closed with those of neighborhoods in which facilities have remained open. The results show that overall hospital closures have had a substantial distributional impact, with facilities in low-income, high infant mortality neighborhoods having the highest rates of failure. Closure of voluntary hospitals occured most frequently in disadvantaged neighborhoods; whereas municipal and proprietary hospital closures showed no differential neighborhood impact. Implications for the geographical accessibility to various groups to health care and for the efficiency and cost of hospital services are discussed.     

市场经济与卫生改革对不同性别人群卫生服务可及性的影响

该文采用定性研究方法,描述和分析了南通、淄博两市在市场经济条件下医疗保健制度改革对不同性别人群卫生服务可及性的影响.研究发现不同性别人群的卫生服务可及性与疾病种类、个人与家庭的经济实力、可享有的社会福利、以及社会地位/关系等直接相关;性别差异对卫生服务可及性无直接影响;在职女工的妇女保健服务基本可及.但个人与家庭抗慢性重大疾病风险的能力不足;非在职职工的医疗保险和保健工作需要大,但落实难;社会政策的制定还应为女性劳动者创造公平的竞争条件,并为其生儿育女的再生产过程提供风险保障.     

External environments facing community health services facilities that belong to state-owned enterprises or public services units in China

This article analyzes the external environments facing community health services (CHS) facilities that belong to state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and public services units (PSUs) in urban China. Semistructured and open-ended key informant interviews were conducted in six such CHS facilities in Wuhan City. A total of 45 chief directors and various other classifications of health professionals from CHS facilities participated in the interviews. Behavioral responses of local government authorities, immediate managerial agencies (SOEs and PSUs), other medical facilities, and the general public were revealed as the external influences impacting these kinds of CHS facilities. Conclusions arrived at were that these CHS facilities need sound external environments to fulfill their roles, including financial support from government and immediate agencies, professional guidance and support, appropriate referrals from other medical facilities, and the cooperation and confidence of the general public in the work of the facilities.     

价值取向与政治博弈:美国医改政策回眸

美国共和民主两党在医改政策方面主要围绕着居民健康与卫生保健的权利,以及政府与市场在医疗服务领域的作用等不同的价值取向展开长期的政治博弈。通过对从罗斯福到奥巴马历任政府医改政策的分析,探讨不同政党在价值选择、政策抉择和基于政府与市场平衡的医改政策。其政策过程表明:政党的价值取向奠定了医改政策的基本点;医改不仅仅是一个经济问题,也是一个利益整合的政治问题;政府主导和市场竞争的有机结合即"有管理的保健"改革策略是当下一种明智的选择。     

Development of the rural health insurance system in China

Ever since the collapse of the once successful Rural Cooperative Medical System (RCMS) in the early 1980s, when China transformed its system of collective agricultural production to private production, many rural communities, especially the poorer residents, have faced several major problems. In 1993, insurance coverage for rural residents was already low, at 12.8%. By 1998, only 9.5% of the rural population was insured. User charges have effectively blocked access for many rural residents who lack adequate income to purchase basic health care when needed. Impoverishment due to medical expenses is also a serious problem, which begs the question: why has there been no vigorous development of the rural health insurance system in China despite the country's rapid economic growth? This paper analyzes the major underlying reasons for the lack of rural health insurance in China. We found that lack of demand for the voluntary community financing schemes and inadequate government policies are the two major hindrances. Recently, the Chinese government announced a new rural health financing policy that relies on 'matching-funds' by the central and local governments as well as household contributions. The potential for success of this new model might be inferred from China's past experiences, as well as from the pilot projects that are underway.     

我国基本药物制度改革的进展与挑战

本文总结了2009年深化医药卫生体制改革以来,我国实施基本药物制度取得的进展和面临的挑战,并提出了相关政策建议。一套完整的基本药物制度在我国已经基本建立,包括制定基本药物目录,组织生产、质量监管、定价、招标采购、配送销售、合理使用、监测和评价等方面取得了阶段性成果。98．8％政府举办的基层医疗卫生机构和41．5％的村卫生室已实行基本药物制度和零差率销售。但国家基本药物目录仅包含307个品种,不能满足病人需要,基层医疗卫生机构服务运行受到影响,需要地方政府的财政补偿。建议动态调整基本药物目录,在基本药物招标采购的过程中注意价格与质量的平衡,继续扩大基本药物制度的覆盖面,研究基本药物的定点生产问题,改进基本药物的科学定价方法。     

北京地区医务人员对应对突发公共卫生事件薄弱环节认知情况的调查分析

目的了解各级医院医务人员对目前应对突发公共卫生事件的管理现状,尤其是薄弱环节所获数据为全国各医院健全突发公共卫生事件的应急机制,完善应急处置预案提供有益的借鉴和参考,为政府相关部门制定突发公共卫生事件应急体系提供可靠依据.方法采用抽样问卷调查方法,对北京地区15家医院和2家医疗卫生单位的1223名医务人员进行有关突发公共卫生事件及救治知识的认知情况、管理现状、救治能力等方面的调查.结果应对突发公共卫生事件的管理水平和救治能力亟待提高.结论政府和各级卫生行政部门要重视救治常识的宣传教育、公共卫生体系的建设、医院应急预案的完善,提高医院的危机管理水平和医务人员的救治能力.