Question 1

Why was cream skimming popular among the sickness insurance funds in Germany before the payment reforms in 2009?

Accepted Answer

Before the 2009 reforms, capitation payments in Germany were adjusted only for age and sex, which did not adequately reflect the health risk of individuals. This led to cream skimming, where funds preferred healthier individuals to maximize profits.

Question 2

What does the future (i.e. economic forecast) most likely hold for the pharmaceutical industry worldwide?

Accepted Answer

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Question 3

Which of the following statements about the international trade in healthcare is true?

Accepted Answer

Regarding option (d): The United States has a rich history of actively using international inputs to health care service provision. European countries, on the other hand, have been very reluctant to make their healthcare industries truly international.

Question 4

Analysis of the evolution of payment systems across countries suggests that

Accepted Answer

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Question 5

Compare the impact on incentives of licensure restrictions on physicians on pharmaceutical sales in the U.S. with those in Japan.

Accepted Answer

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Question 6

Discuss the public good aspect of medical knowledge and the international diffusion of medical knowledge. Why do low income countries like Ghana and Sudan spend a disproportionate amount of funds on state of the art urban hospitals when care is so limited in rural areas?

Accepted Answer

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Question 7

Discuss the international flow of health care workers and "brain drain" from low- and middle-income countries.

Accepted Answer

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Question 8

What does Dr. Getzen mean by saying that "In many ways, high-income countries face the same problems of maldistribution and misallocation in the delivery of medical care as low-income countries, but at a different level"?

Accepted Answer

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Question 9

Explain the fact why there is no unemployment of physicians in the U.S., while there is a 30% unemployment rate of physicians in Mexico, where there are significantly less physicians per capita than in the U.S.

Accepted Answer

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Question 10

Discuss the role and extent (or lack thereof) of private markets' penetration in the healthcare sector across countries of all ranges of income. Provide an opinion on whether there is room for for-profit businesses in the countries where the healthcare system is primarily public.

Accepted Answer

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Question 11

As was highlighted in the text, many countries regulate prices of pharmaceutical products, which often results in imported pharmaceuticals' prices being lower than prices manufacturers charge to domestic consumers. This creates an opportunity for a "free ride" for such countries, which avoid paying for R&D expenses, but enjoy all the benefits of newly developed drugs. Is it truly a "free" ride?

Accepted Answer

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Quiz 16: International Comparisons of Health and Health Expenditures