The Government's NHS reforms pave the way for more competition and a more locally managed health service. They also take place at a time when the NHS in England is faced with saving an estimated £15 to £20 billion by 2015. Achieving savings of this level will require a radical overhaul of how services are designed and delivered. Critical to this is creating the right incentives for the NHS to develop, in ways that promote creativity and innovation.

Comprehensive in coverage this textbook, written by academics from leading institutions, discusses current developments and debates in modern health economics from an international perspective. Economic models are presented in detail, complemented by real-life explanations and analysis, and discussions of the influence of such theories on policymaking. Offering sound pedagogy and economic rigor, Health Economics focuses on building intuition alongside appropriate mathematical formality, translating technical language into accessible economic narrative. Rather than shying away from intellectual building blocks, students are introduced to technical and theoretical foundations and encouraged to apply these to inform empirical studies and wider policymaking. Health Economics provides: - A broad scope, featuring comparative health policy and empirical examples from around the world to help students relate the principles of health economics to everyday life - Coverage of topical issues such as the obesity epidemic, economic epidemiology, socioeconomic health disparities, and behavioural economics - A rich learning resource, complete with hundreds of exercises to help solidify and extend understanding. This book is designed for advanced undergraduate courses in health economics and policy but may also interest postgraduate students in economics, medicine and health policy. Accompanying online resources for this title can be found at bloomsburyonlineresources.com/health-economics. These resources are designed to support teaching and learning when using this textbook and are available at no extra cost.