Findings on Health Insurance Reported by Investigators at University of Tampere (Development of voluntary private health insurance in Nordic…

Findings on Health Insurance Reported by Investigators at University of Tampere (Development of voluntary private health insurance in Nordic countries - An exploratory study on country-specific contextual factors)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Managed Care Weekly Digest -- New research on Health Insurance is the subject of a report. According to news reporting originating from Tampere, Finland, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, "The Nordic countries are healthcare systems with tax-based financing and ambitions for universal access to comprehensive services. This implies that distribution of healthcare resources should be based on individual needs, not on the ability to pay."

Our news editors obtained a quote from the research from the University of Tampere, "Despite this ideological orientation, significant expansion in voluntary private health insurance (VPHI) contracts has occurred in recent decades. The development and role of VPHIs are different across the Nordic countries. Complementary VPHI plays a significant role in Denmark and in Finland. Supplementary VPHI is prominent in Norway and Sweden. The aim of this paper is to explore drivers behind the developments of the VPHI markets in the Nordic countries. We analyze the developments in terms of the following aspects: the performance of the statutory system (real or perceived), lack of coverage in certain areas of healthcare, governmental interventions or inability to reform the system, policy trends and the general socio-cultural environment, and policy responses to voting behavior or lobbying by certain interest groups. It seems that the early developments in VPHI markets have been an answer to the gaps in the national health systems created by institutional contexts, political decisions, and cultural interpretations on the functioning of the system."

According to the news editors, the research concluded: "However, once the market is created it introduces new dynamics that have less to do with gaps and inflexibilities and more with cultural factors."

For more information on this research see: Development of voluntary private health insurance in Nordic countries - An exploratory study on country-specific contextual factors. Health Policy, 2018;122(5):485-492. Health Policy can be contacted at: Elsevier Ireland Ltd, Elsevier House, Brookvale Plaza, East Park Shannon, Co, Clare, 00000, Ireland. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Health Policy - www.journals.elsevier.com/health-policy/)

The news editors report that additional information may be obtained by contacting L.K. Tynkkynen, University of Tampere, Natl Inst Hlth & Welf, Fac Social Sci, Tampere, Finland. Additional authors for this research include N. Alexandersen, O. Kaarboe, A. Anell, J. Lehto and K. Vrangbaek (see also Health Insurance).

Keywords for this news article include: Tampere, Finland, Europe, Health and Medicine, Health Insurance, University of Tampere.

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