Welfare, Choice and Solidarity in Transition

• Part I. Points of Departure: 1. The general principles of reform; 2. The characteristics of the health sector; 3. Some international experiences; 4. The health sector in Eastern Europe: the initial state; Part II. Guidelines for Reform: 5. The demand side: financing, benefits, and organization of insurance; 6. The supply side: delivery system ownership, organization, and contracting; 7. The interaction of supply and demand: pricing, payment, hard budget constraints, and overall health-sector development; 8. Concluding remarks.

Review of the hardback: 'To judge from its title, Janos Kornai and Karen Eggleston have written a book about health care reform in Eastern Europe. In fact, they have done much more. Following their own axiom of transparency, they begin by setting out goals of health care and other social support systems in a fresh way, and go on to apply the goals to the practical tasks of health care financing and organization. In so doing, they make a large contribution to a small literature, a comparative analytical treatment of many countries' health care systems together with advice for the would-be reformer.' Joseph P. Newhouse, Harvard University