Trade in Health Services in the ASEAN Region
Promoting quality health services to large population segments is a key ingredient to human and economic development. At its core, healthcare policymaking involves complex tradeoffs between promoting equitable and affordable access to a basic set o...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2007/03/7408876/trade-health-services-asean-region http://hdl.handle.net/10986/7165 |
| Summary: | Promoting quality health services to
large population segments is a key ingredient to human and
economic development. At its core, healthcare policymaking
involves complex tradeoffs between promoting equitable and
affordable access to a basic set of health services,
creating incentives for efficiencies in the healthcare
system, and managing constraints in government budgets.
International trade in health services influences these
tradeoffs. It presents opportunities for cost savings and
access to better quality care, but it also raises challenges
in promoting equitable and affordable access. Drawing on a
research project of the ASEAN Economic Forum, this paper
offers a discussion of trade policy in health services for
the ASEAN region. It reviews the state of healthcare in the
region, existing patterns of trade, and remaining barriers
to trade. The paper also identifies policy measures that
could further harness the benefits from trade in health
services and address potential pitfalls that deeper
integration may bring about. |
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