An Analysisi of NHI Drug Policies and Pharmaceutical Expenditures
| Autor: | Carol Cheng, 程馨 |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2004 |
| Druh dokumentu: | 學位論文 ; thesis |
| Popis: | 92 The fast growing pharmaceutical expenditures has becoming a common issue in most countries. As a result, governments or healthcare insurers have adopted various policies directed at drug expenditures as a countermeasure. The purpose of this study is aimed at analyzing drug policies and the growing pharmaceutical expenditures. This study firstly conducted a literature review on the determinants of the growth of pharmaceutical expenditures and the drug policies implemented in other countries and further analyzed the drug policy of NHI and the trend of the pharmaceutical expenditures in Taiwan. Recent studies indicate the main purposes of drug policies are to bring pharmaceutical expenditures under control, improve the efficiency in resource utilization and equitable access. Evidences show the growth of drug expenditures in various countries is mainly driven by the quantity of drug consumed and the introduction of new drugs, while drug prices have less significant impact. Furthermore, drug policies do not seem to have substantial effects in the control over the growth of drug expenditures in the long-term, and instead decrease the efficiency of resource utilization and equitable access consequently. Research has shown that the NHI drug policies in Taiwan mainly impose drug price control on pharmaceutical industry. The growth rate of NHI pharmaceutical expenditures has been controlled below 7% since year 2000. However, under fee-for-service payment system, the growth rate of NHI pharmaceutical expenditures has appeared to fluctuate with that of medical expenditures at all levels of hospitals, implying that the effect of control over drug expenditures comes mainly from the cost containment on total health expenditure. This macro-analysis on the NHI pharmaceutical expenditures may provide possible reference for drug policies. This study could be extended to further researches on the trend and determinants of the growth of pharmaceutical expenditures. Cost-effectiveness measures of pharmaceuticals should also be introduced to enhance the efficiency of drug policies. |
| Databáze: | Networked Digital Library of Theses & Dissertations |
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