TY - JOUR
T1 - Co-payments for general practitioners in Denmark
T2 - an analysis using two policy models
AU - Hansen, Camilla
AU - Andrioti, Despena
PY - 2017/1/5
Y1 - 2017/1/5
N2 - BACKGROUND: The increasing health expenditure for general practitioners (GPs) in Denmark requires that other ways of financing the health system are investigated. This study aims to analyse possibilities for implementing out-of-pocket payments to GPs in Denmark.METHODS: The study was conducted as a literature review with 11 articles included. The Health Policy Triangle and the Kingdon Model were used in analysing and discussing the implementation of a cost-sharing policy with an emphasis on the out-of-pocket payments method.RESULTS: The Danish Parliament has expressed mixed opinions about out-of-pocket payments, whereas the Danish population, the GPs and the media are against introducing payments. The public debate and the fact that Danes are used to healthcare being free of charge both work against introducing co-payments. However, experiences from Sweden, Norway and OECD countries serve to promote implementation, but at the expense of decreased accessibility for the most vulnerable population groups.CONCLUSIONS: Introducing out-of-pocket payments in Denmark may lead to decreased health expenditure, but also increased inequalities. Due to a lack of support from the relevant policy actors in the country, in addition to a lack of a policy window, it may not be possible to introduce out-of-pocket payments for GPs in Denmark in the short term.
AB - BACKGROUND: The increasing health expenditure for general practitioners (GPs) in Denmark requires that other ways of financing the health system are investigated. This study aims to analyse possibilities for implementing out-of-pocket payments to GPs in Denmark.METHODS: The study was conducted as a literature review with 11 articles included. The Health Policy Triangle and the Kingdon Model were used in analysing and discussing the implementation of a cost-sharing policy with an emphasis on the out-of-pocket payments method.RESULTS: The Danish Parliament has expressed mixed opinions about out-of-pocket payments, whereas the Danish population, the GPs and the media are against introducing payments. The public debate and the fact that Danes are used to healthcare being free of charge both work against introducing co-payments. However, experiences from Sweden, Norway and OECD countries serve to promote implementation, but at the expense of decreased accessibility for the most vulnerable population groups.CONCLUSIONS: Introducing out-of-pocket payments in Denmark may lead to decreased health expenditure, but also increased inequalities. Due to a lack of support from the relevant policy actors in the country, in addition to a lack of a policy window, it may not be possible to introduce out-of-pocket payments for GPs in Denmark in the short term.
KW - Cost sharing
KW - General practice
KW - Health Policy Triangle
KW - Kingdon Model
KW - Out-of-pocket payments
KW - Policy window
KW - Financing, Personal/economics
KW - Humans
KW - Cost Sharing/economics
KW - Vulnerable Populations
KW - Health Expenditures
KW - Socioeconomic Factors
KW - General Practice/economics
KW - Sweden
KW - Norway
KW - Denmark
KW - Mass Media
KW - Delivery of Health Care/economics
KW - Health Policy
KW - Healthcare Disparities/economics
U2 - 10.1186/s12913-016-1951-z
DO - 10.1186/s12913-016-1951-z
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 28056968
SN - 1472-6963
VL - 17
JO - BMC Health Services Research
JF - BMC Health Services Research
M1 - 9
ER -