Publisher's Synopsis
Providing an introduction to 12 health-care systems in Western and Eastern Europe, North America and the Pacific Basin, this book highlights characteristics, policies, problems and current efforts for change. Each chapter includes a companion piece written by an individual citizen over 55 years of age that describes a personal encounter with the existing health-care system. Thus, the book juxtaposes a macro-social overview with a micro-level personal experience that focuses on an age group that is a major consumer of health care in almost every country. A final analytical chapter categorizes systems, problems and cost-containment strategies, and explores directions for the future and lessons to be learned from comparative analysis.
