Narrow Your Choices

Refine By Countries

Refine By Series

Refine By Language

Refine By Date

—

Refine By IMF Taxonomy

Refine By JEL Taxonomy

Refine by LOC Taxonomy

Refine By THEMA Taxonomy

  • Print
  • Save

Business and Economics > Insurance

You are looking at 1 - 4 of 4 items for :

  • Type: Journal Issue x
Clear All Modify Search
Cover IMF Working Papers
Economic Transition and Health Care Reform: The Experience of Europe and Central Asia
Adam Leive
This paper exploits the staggered adoption of major concurrent health reforms in countries in Europe and Central Asia after 1990 to estimate their impact on public health expenditure, utilization, and avoidable deaths. While the health systems all derived from the same paradigm under central planning, they have since introduced changes to policies regarding cost-sharing, provider payment, financing, and the rationalization of hospital infrastructure. Social health insurance is predicted to increase this share, although the leads of both social health insurance and primary care fee-for-service suggest endogeneity may be an issue with the outpatient share regressions. Provider payment reforms produce the largest impact on spending, with fee-for-service increasing spending and patient-based payment reducing it. The impact on avoidable deaths is generally negligible, but there is some evidence of improvements due to fee-for-service. Considering the corresponding relative reduction in inpatient admissions and the incentives fee-for-service provides to deliver additional services, perhaps there is an overprovision of services in the primary care setting and an underutilization of more specialized hospital services.
Keywords:
WP; hospital PBP; hospital fee-for-service; payment reform; hospital payment variable; hospital payment coefficient
Cover IMF Working Papers
What Should Macroeconomists Know about Health Care Policy?
Mr. Peter S. Heller
This primer aims to provide IMF macroeconomists with the essential information they need to address issues concerning health sector policy, particularly when they have significant macroeconomic implications. Such issues can also affect equity and growth and are fundamental to any strategy of poverty reduction. The primer highlights the appropriate roles for the state and market in health care financing and provision. It also suggests situations in which macroeconomists should engage health sector specialists in policy formulation exercises. Finally, it reviews the different health policy issues that confront countries at alternative stages of economic development and the range of appropriate policy options.
Keywords:
WP; health system; expenditure inflation; health sector; health status; health expenditure; health practitioner
Cover Taxing the Financial Sector
Taxing the Financial Sector
Concepts, Issues, and Practice
Mr. Howell H Zee

Abstract

One of the most complex issues in tax policy today is the treatment of the institutions, products, and services that make up the financial sector. It can be harder to ascertain income, expenses, and profits for financial firms than for firms selling goods and services, and it is easier for individuals and firms to manipulate financial transactions so as to exploit tax loopholes. This volume explores the challenges faced by tax policymakers and identifies modern best practices in several areas: banks, insurance companies, securities companies, investment funds, pension funds, and derivatives.

Keywords:
BOOK; VAT; bank; capital gain; taxation; tax treatment; securities transaction tax; credit-invoice VAT; value-added tax; tax relief; general tax principle; arbitrage opportunity; Personal income; Insurance; Value-added tax; Income tax systems; Africa; Australia and New Zealand; Europe
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Japan: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund
This Selected Issues paper analyzes macroeconomic developments and prospects for Japan during the 1990s. Following a surge in activity during 1996 and early 1997, the economy fell into recession in the second quarter of 1997. Real GDP fell by 3¾ percent during the four quarters ended March 1998; the unemployment rate reached historical highs; and deflationary pressures reemerged. The downturn was largely unexpected, and most forecasters had projected growth of about 2 percent in 1997. This paper also examines fiscal policy issues for Japan.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; Japan; interest rate; Asia; exchange rate; bank lending; potential GDP; BoJ bill; shareholder meeting; capital stock; Insurance; Loans; Insurance companies; Asia and Pacific; East Asia; North America; Western Europe; Southeast Asia