What Is Health Economics?

Health economics is the application of various economic disciplines in the field of health, and is also closely related to medicine, hygiene, demography, and sociology. There are several branches of health economics in the development process, including medical economics, health economics, health planning economics, health technical economics, hospital economic management, medical economics, etc.

Health economics

(A discipline of economics)

Right!

Health economics is the application of various economic disciplines in the field of health, and is also closely related to medicine, hygiene, demography, and sociology. There are several branches of health economics in the development process, including medical economics, health economics, health planning economics, health technical economics, hospital economic management, medical economics, and so on.

Chinese name

Health economics

Formation time

1950s to 1960s

Health economics as a discipline was formed and developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Its historical background is: The rapid increase in health costs in economically developed countries. After the Second World War, medical treatment caused by the rapid improvement of medical scientific and technological level, the modernization of diagnosis and treatment methods and sanitary facilities, Health costs have increased significantly. For example, the expenditure on health care in many European countries accounted for about 4% of GDP in the 1950s; it rose to 8% in the late 1970s. In terms of growth rate, in the 1950s, the proportion of health care expenditure in GDP in many countries increased by 1%; in the 1960s, it increased by 1.5%; in the 1970s, it increased by 2%. High medical and health costs are a heavy economic burden on the government, business owners, individual workers and families. Objectively, it is required to analyze the reasons for the rapid increase in health costs and find ways to curb the increase in health costs. Socialization of health services. After the Second World War, the scale of health undertakings has become larger and larger, technical equipment has become more and more advanced, and the level of division of labor and specialization has become higher and higher. The department occupies an important position in social and economic life. Therefore, the study of economic issues in the health sector has become an important subject of economics research. In 1952, "The Chronicle of the World Health Organization" published an American paper by Marda, "The Economic Aspects of Health", which is considered to be the first work on health economics. In 1958, SJ Mahikin published a paper entitled "Definition of Health Economics" in the "Public Health Report" published in Washington, clearly setting out the definition of health economics as "the science that studies the optimal use of health investment." After the 1960s, the study of health economics was further developed in European and American countries. In 1968, the World Health Organization held the first international seminar on health economics in Moscow and published a collection of thesis "Economics of Health and Disease" . Since then, health economics has entered a period of wider development.

Medical economic issues have long been noticed long ago. In the 3rd century BC, the ancient Greek thinker Aristotle talked about the relationship between farmers and doctors in production and exchange. In the 17th century, W. Petty, a classical British economist, pointed out in his book "Dedicated to the wise" (1691) that health care costs spent on workers would bring economic benefits. In 1940, HE Siegrist published an article "Introduction to Medical Economics", which argued that medical economics should clarify the various socio-economic conditions that hinder the application of modern medicine, analyze the huge losses caused by poverty and disease to the national economy, and solve medical problems The contradiction between price and patient's financial affordability.

China's health economics research began in the late 1970s. After 1978, the health department summarized the experience and lessons of health service construction since the founding of the People's Republic of China, analyzed the disadvantages of the health management system and the causes of serious waste of health resources, and explored a series of economic theoretical and practical issues raised in health work. The reform of the management system was initiated, and measures to strengthen economic management were adopted, thereby promoting the development of health economics research. The Chinese Society for Health Economics was established in 1982 (renamed the Society for Health Economics in 1984).

At present, the main issues of Chinese health economics research are:

The economic nature and role of health. Including the nature of medical labor, health services and labor reproduction, health services and people's living consumption, health services and socialist welfare, and commodity relations in health services.

Problems of the economic management system of health services. It mainly analyzes the original management system, summarizes the experience of various forms of health economic responsibility system, and explores plans and measures for further reforming the economic management system.

Economic issues of the health care system. Explore how to improve the way health care funds are raised, allocated, and used, adjust and deal with the economic relations between national collectives, individual medical workers, and clients in the health field, improve the health care system, eliminate waste, and improve the socioeconomic benefits of health investment .

The composition of health expenses and the trend of development and change. Sources of health expenses, distribution, use, compensation and fair use.

The scope, form and characteristics of the role of the law of value in the field of health, the theoretical policies of medical prices and the formulation of medical fees.

How to implement the principle of distribution according to work in the health field and reform the salary system of medical and technical personnel.

Economic analysis of health technology. Including the rational organization of health economic resources, health technology cost-benefit analysis, and health technology economic indicator system issues.

Macroeconomic management of the health industry and economic management of the hospital, especially the economic accounting system of the hospital.