<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="/web/sources/xsl/rss2html.xsl" version="1.0"?>
<rss version="2.0">
<channel>
<title>Itinera Institute - Issues - Health-Care</title>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org</link>
<description>Itinera Institute - Issues - Health-Care</description>
<image>
<url>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/web/sources/img/logo_itinera.jpg</url>
<title>Itinera Institute - Issues - Health-Care</title>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org</link>
</image>
<copyright>Copyright 2008, Itinera Institute</copyright>
<language>en</language>
<pubDate>Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<item>
<title>Debating thresholds in assessing health technology</title>
<description><![CDATA[ To prioritize spending of taxpayers’ money on healthcare, one way is known as Health Technology Assessment (HTA). To evaluate treatments in terms of their utility, HTA institutions have measured the benefits of a treatment as the period by which one’s life is extended and improved. This may sound (too?) scientific but does not exclude making a choice on an economic threshold of a given medicine, according to this Stockholm Network paper. There is a lot of room for improving today’s threshold concept before it can actually be used, the authors argue. Thresholds would need to be made more explicit and transparent, while taking into consideration the quality of evidence for instance.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/debating-thresholds-in-assessing-health-technology/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/debating-thresholds-in-assessing-health-technology/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Stimulating the profession of general practitioner (GP)</title>
<description><![CDATA[ The profession of GP could become a bottleneck profession. Given the estimated growth in demand for healthcare in the future this is bad news. So what factors influence attraction, recruitment and professional loyalty of GPs in Belgium then? This is the key question in this report from the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre. Recommendations towards the medical faculties, the working conditions and the job’s financial aspects are also made, since these appear to be decisive for GPs (to be) in the exercise of their profession. ]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/stimulating-the-profession-of-general-practitioner/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/stimulating-the-profession-of-general-practitioner/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Sarkozy: an inspiration for reforming the Belgian healthcare system ?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Could Nicolas Sarkozy’s bill “Hôpital, patients, santé, territoire” serve as a source of inspiration for future reforms of the Belgian healthcare system? François Daue en Brieuc Van Damme critically scrutinized the text to extract its priorities and most interesting proposals for Belgium.]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/sarkozy-an-inspiration-for-reforming-the-belgian-healthcare-system/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/sarkozy-an-inspiration-for-reforming-the-belgian-healthcare-system/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>In search of attention</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Publishing is vital for scientists. With the growing number of scientists, the amount of publications and scientific journals is increasing tremendously. This does not mean attention is allocated efficiently though: those who receive a lot of attention will only receive more, whether that recognition is justified or not.]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/in-search-of-attention/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/in-search-of-attention/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Obama vs. McCain: Competing Health Care Visions</title>
<description><![CDATA[ In this paper, the Council for Affordable Health Insurance gives its views on the U.S. presidential candidates’ health care policies. What to do with the uninsured and how could access be improved? What do senators McCain and Obama think of transparency and price control? What are the other areas of reform? You’ll find everything about it in this short but comprehensive paper.]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/obama-vs-mccain-competing-health-care-visions/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/obama-vs-mccain-competing-health-care-visions/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Welcome to the health economy!</title>
<description><![CDATA[ We are spending an increasing amount of our budget on health care. Private as well as public health expenses are growing spectacularly: 5% on average every year over the past 25 years! What’s to blame? In fact, the main suspects are our own preferences: the richer we get the more we are willing to spend on healthcare. This NBER paper found an income elasticity for health services of 1.6, meaning that income expenditures on health care in the U.S. are likely to reach 29 percent of the GDP by 2040! This confirms earlier findings of the Belgian Plan Bureau. Welcome to the health economy!]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/welcome-to-the-health-economy/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/welcome-to-the-health-economy/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title> What a glass of wine can do (to one&#8217;s health)</title>
<description><![CDATA[ To evaluate one’s health, insurance companies might need to ask what one’s daily consumption of wine is. Studies have indeed shown that wine consumption and health are closely correlated. The question however remains in what direction causality goes: is wine drinking healthy or are healthy people drinking more wine? Because wine consumption is associated to a balanced and comfortable lifestyle, the latter seems more accurate: the circumstances in which one grows lives and works determine one’s health and the possibilities to fight illness and disability. So not wine, but social position create health inequalities. This World Health Organisation report scrutinizes what can be done to promote health equity in different countries, including Belgium, and suggests three principles of action to closing the gap in one generation.]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/what-a-glass-of-wine-can-do-to-ones-health/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/what-a-glass-of-wine-can-do-to-ones-health/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Patients want more voice</title>
<description><![CDATA[ This publication from the Roi Baudoin foundation is the result of a consultation which analysed the possibility for patients to be more actively involved in the Belgian health policy decision making. Foremost, patients want all patient groups to be represented in an integrated – and not fragmented – way. According to the questioned citizens, this representation would also have to be backed with extra financial means. We can only guess whether this can truly improve the quality of our healthcare system.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/patients-want-more-voice/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/patients-want-more-voice/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Maximuminvoice works, but could be improved</title>
<description><![CDATA[ This KCE report shows that the maximuminvoice (MAF), according to which health care costs paid by patients are limited, still hasn’t realized its objective. The number of Belgian households who still allocate more than the proposed benchmark – i.e. 5% of the household income – to the non-refundable part of medical expenses, amounts to an important 3%. This number even goes up to 10% when supplements are taken into account. The KCE report consequently studies the background of these households, the revisions that can be made to align the results of the maximuminvoice with its initial intention and the consequences for the budget.]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-maximuminvoice-works-but-could-be-improved/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-maximuminvoice-works-but-could-be-improved/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Should public authorities subsidise external beauty?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Figures that have recently been published by the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre show that health insurance spending for plastic surgery has more than doubled in only 11 years. This example serves to introduce a debate on the desirability of health expenses in general.]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/should-public-authorities-subsidise-external-beauty/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/should-public-authorities-subsidise-external-beauty/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>The silver lining</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Marc De Vos hopes that the ongoing political troubles in Belgium will lead to a workable state and efficient government. He points out that the Flemish consensus for more devolution hides great differences on policy views. Policy reform, not devolution per se, is the only silver lining of the current institutional crisis.]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-silver-lining/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-silver-lining/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>The inflation-health multiplier</title>
<description><![CDATA[ This IZA paper investigates the possibility of intergenerational transmission of unhealthy eating habits from parents to adult children.  It is found that only maternal history influences negatively the eating behaviour of their daughters. Even more preoccupying is the fact that eating intergenerational transmission appears to be more intense amongst lower household income individuals. With the rising food prices, lower income families are very likely to shift to an unhealthier diet which will be transmitted to the following generation(s) – and thus worsening the harm. Inflation has a health component too.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-inflation-health-multiplier/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-inflation-health-multiplier/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Private spending: the magic bullet for the healthcare funding challenge?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Total healthcare is likely to rise in the future. According to this IPPR report, collective, public funding will remain the most efficient and equitable way of financing healthcare. Private spending plays a valid role in the health economy though but will not provide an efficient means of increasing resources for health. Policymakers should thus reform the public system first, whilst considering the contribution and efficiency of the diverse types of private healthcare spending as integral to health system strategies. 
]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/private-spending-the-magic-bullet-for-the-healthcare-funding-challenge/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/private-spending-the-magic-bullet-for-the-healthcare-funding-challenge/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>It&#8217;s the economy, stupid!</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Marc De Vos sees insufficient economic growth as the root cause of the problems of purchasing power and low pensions. He notices a new Belgian paradox of insufficient means for our needs and too much expenditure for our capacity. Real policy reform is indispensable to stop further relative decline.]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/its-the-economy-stupid/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/its-the-economy-stupid/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>To revise the financing of the health insurance</title>
<description><![CDATA[ The budget of numerous European countries is not well, especially since the recent economic slowdown. The increasing health spending does not improve things. This working document of the Montaigne Institute suggests shifting over the national insurance contributions, very high in France but also in Belgium, towards other sources of financing – the income tax or the VAT for example. And this to assure the efficiency of the system – through a decrease of the labour costs notably – but above all its sustainability. Unfortunately, the weakest of our society risk losing there, and it is indeed for that that the authors defend a cautious estimation before shifting everything.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/to-revise-the-financing-of-the-health-insurance/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/to-revise-the-financing-of-the-health-insurance/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Measuring and interpreting cross-country hospital efficiency</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Identifying the best practices in hospital performances by measuring cross- country differences is becoming increasingly important. Very useful indeed, but definitely not easy, claims this OECD working paper. The authors suggest here that cross-country hospital efficiency differences might be linked to institutional factors. Also within Belgium hospital performance differences are known to be important, which suggests windows of opportunity for efficiency improvements.]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/measuring-and-interpreting-cross-country-hospital-efficiency/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/measuring-and-interpreting-cross-country-hospital-efficiency/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Breaking the vicious circle economy-environnement-health</title>
<description><![CDATA[ The economic activity affects the environment, which affects our health, which affects in turn our activity and our economic performances. This article of the OECD proposes different answers to better take into account the risks the environment can represent for our health.
]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/break-the-vicious-circle-economy-environnement-health/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/break-the-vicious-circle-economy-environnement-health/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Design principles for a patient-centered market</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Another way to enhance the healthcare system's quality is the "patient-focused" or "consumer-centered" approach. The aim of this Heritage Foundation study is to clarify these trendy, but often misused concepts. Six key principles were identified in which the freedom of choice and the transparency of the system seem to be crucial. Whilst Belgium is performing rather well in terms of choice, it should also realize that access to information is a key element of a system's quality. 
]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/design-principles-for-a-patient-centered-market/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/design-principles-for-a-patient-centered-market/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>How to improve the quality of our general medicine?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ A recent report of The Itinera Institute underlined the necessity to focus on the quality of the Belgian healthcare system. By leaning on a certain number of convincing international experiences, this report of the KCE tries to identify potential ways to improve our general medicine. For example, we can quote the case of the United Kingdom, which offers bonuses to the general practitioners having achieved the required objectives. But the report also mentions non-financial measures which seem interesting. For examples, the Australian government invested in professional networks whereas The Netherlands set up a robust program of practice accreditation.
]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 May 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/how-to-improve-the-quality-of-our-general-medicine/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/how-to-improve-the-quality-of-our-general-medicine/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Ageing&#8217;s collateral damage: how to face a generalist shortage?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Health Tracking predicts that population growth and ageing will lead to deficits of adult care generalists and will increase their workload. The foundations of primary care for adults in the States as well as in Belgium are endangered in other words. But increasing today’s availability of generalists is not that simple – employers, insurers, and government as well as medical education have roles to play. Financial incentives to students, commitment to education of generalists and the abolition of the numerus clausus are considered to be promising solutions.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/ageings-collateral-damage-how-to-face-a-generalist-shortage/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/ageings-collateral-damage-how-to-face-a-generalist-shortage/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Can faster economic growth bail out retirement programs?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ According to this Paper of the Urban Institute, economic growth is highly desirable to face the challenge of an ageing population since it increases the tax revenues and makes the society suffer less from higher tax burden or slower benefits growth. However, the authors think that growth in the US cannot solve the long-run budgetary problems of ageing, since health care expenses and other entitlements are narrowly linked to economic dynamism.  They stress that, concerning the US, reforms leading to significant reductions in the growth of pension and health benefits (or increases in tax burdens) are required. In Belgium however, unless we move to ever more welfare adjustment, we still have scope for saving social protection; but if and only if we make the necessary reforms. 
]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/can-faster-economic-growth-bail-out-retirement-programs/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/can-faster-economic-growth-bail-out-retirement-programs/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>The future of health: an economic constitution?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Demand for healthcare and healthcare services changes over time. According to this Reform report, in the future, people will be asking for more qualitative and locally dispatched services. To bring about this needed structural change, taking into account the greater financial constraints, the authors advance the idea of an economic constitution. More than a mere mission statement, this constitution would be used as a reference document when evaluating new healthcare priorities and initiatives. It would also define duties for legislator and providers, such as quality, information obligations and competition. An interesting solution not to lose track of the initial objectives along the politically sensible way of structural change.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 09 May 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-future-of-health-an-economic-constitution/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-future-of-health-an-economic-constitution/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Belgian social model is not  a model anymore</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Marc De Vos gives critical reflections on the unions and mutual funds call to maintain the so called “Belgian social model”. He points out that this model has been under existential pressure for over thirty years and that it can only survive through reform.
]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 02 May 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-belgian-social-model-is-not-anymore-a-model/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-belgian-social-model-is-not-anymore-a-model/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Inform to heal better</title>
<description><![CDATA[ According to the Belgian Ministry of Health hospital-acquired infections kill 2500 to 3000 people per year and cost more than 100 million a year only in extra hospitalisation days. There are, however, no official, disaggregated figures about one of the most underestimated problems of our modern health care. This study presents official figures for Pennsylvania based on individual hospital reports over time – which allows for comparisons. By informing patients with such detailed information, peer pressure increases. This enhances inter-hospital competition which is expected to have a direct positive impact on the quality of healthcare. Informing the patient being Belgium’s Achilles tendon, coming up with this report should be interpreted as more than just a hint...]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/inform-to-heal-better/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/inform-to-heal-better/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>How healthy is the Belgian healthcare system?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ The Belgian healthcare system has important assets. The system is nonetheless threatened by many factors when confronted with the challenges of the XXIst century. This publication shows that the budgetary priority of the past 25 years will be largely insufficient for the future. New priority setting is a necessity and will have to go hand in hand with a real middle and long term vision that is non existent today.]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/how-healthy-is-the-belgian-healthcare-system/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/how-healthy-is-the-belgian-healthcare-system/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>How healthy is the Belgian healthcare system? Presentation</title>
<description><![CDATA[ The Belgian healthcare system has important assets. The system is nonetheless threatened by many factors when confronted with the challenges of the XXIst century. This presentation shows that the budgetary priority of the past 25 years will be largely insufficient for the future. New priority setting is a necessity and will have to go hand in hand with a real middle and long term vision that is non existent today.]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/how-healthy-is-the-belgian-healthcare-system-presentation/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/how-healthy-is-the-belgian-healthcare-system-presentation/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Cancer Plan needs more than a budget only!</title>
<description><![CDATA[ A budget of 380 million euros has been freed for the Cancer Plan for the period 2008-2010. This testifies of a middle-term vision. It would be an error to think this plan guarantees results though. The Cancer Plan needs more than only a budget to be successful. Four basic conditions have to be fulfilled: prevention, collaboration, mobilisation of all the actors and finally innovation. ]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-cancer-plan-needs-more-than-a-budget-only/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-cancer-plan-needs-more-than-a-budget-only/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Is a smoking ban efficient?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ From July 1 2008 onwards the Dutch hotel and catering industry will be smoke-free. This CPB study provides a cost-benefit analysis of the smoking ban and compares the policy to a less drastic alternative, improved ventilation. Both the costs and the benefits of a smoking ban depend upon health gains, i.e. higher pension costs and higher costs for care in the extra life years. The authors conclude that, in comparison with the current policy of self-regulation in the hotel and catering industry, the benefits of the smoking ban exceed its costs by more than 75 million euros. The results confirm those from other studies realised in the United Kingdom.    
]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/isasmokingbanefficient/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/isasmokingbanefficient/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Technological change expands health care capabilities at a budgetary cost</title>
<description><![CDATA[ As in Belgium, health care costs in the United States have grown substantially for decades and are expected to continue to grow in the future. For the US federal government, rising health care costs constitute the primary challenge of fiscal policy. But also private payers have experienced similar growth in costs. This Congressional Budget Office (CBO) paper describes the historical growth in spending on health care in the United States. It examines the factors that determine this evolution and gives special emphasis to the largest single factor driving spending growth —the greatly expanded capabilities of medicine brought about by technological advances in medical science over the past several decades. Finally, the paper discusses the implications of continued technological change for future growth of health care spending.
]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 06 Feb 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/technological-change-expands-health-care-capabilities-at-a-budgetary-cost/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/technological-change-expands-health-care-capabilities-at-a-budgetary-cost/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Unequal (un)healthy: Not all Belgians are equal in health</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Health inequality in Belgium is much larger than generally perceived. For example, a low-skilled person dies on average three to five years earlier than a high-skilled and can even expect 18 to 25 years less healthy years than a high-skilled. Whereas a number of European countries recently developed strategic and action-oriented plans to reduce health inequalities, an integrated policy strategy is lacking in Belgium. In this report the King Baudouin Foundation gives recommendations to all governments in Belgium to realise a fairer division of chances on health. The authors plead for example for more resources for first line care, for more attention for a healthy life style and a healthy environment, and for the establishment of an action-oriented policy co-ordination centre for equality in health.]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 06 Feb 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/unequal-unhealthy-not-all-belgians-are-equal-in-health/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/unequal-unhealthy-not-all-belgians-are-equal-in-health/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Future of the Belgian Welfare State: Pensions and Health Care</title>
<description><![CDATA[ The Belgian social security system is more and more submitted to budgetary constraints. At a conference on the future of the welfare state, Marc De Vos offers reflections and perspectives on the past, present, and evolution of pensions and healthcare in Belgium. Change to improve is for him the motto of the future.]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-future-of-the-belgian-welfare-state-pensions-and-health-care/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-future-of-the-belgian-welfare-state-pensions-and-health-care/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>The International Monetary Fund rings the alarm bell for Belgium</title>
<description><![CDATA[ In its yearly report on Belgium the International Monetary Fund (IMF) urges policymakers to take serious budgetary and socio-economic measures. With a slowing economy and lack of budgetary margin Belgium needs restrictions on government expenditures as well as structural reforms. The IMF recommends making sure that health care costs do not grow more rapidly than the economy, continuing wage moderation efforts in spite of a rising cost of life, eliminating certain subsidies, reforming unemployment insurance with time limitations on unemployment benefits and making collective wage bargaining more flexible.]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-international-monetary-fund-rings-the-alarm-bell-for-belgium/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-international-monetary-fund-rings-the-alarm-bell-for-belgium/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>The International Monetary Fund sounds a wake-up call for Belgium</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Marc De Vos gives perspectives on the recent report from the International Monetary Fund on Belgium. He concludes that the institutional crisis is blocking structural socioeconomic reforms that are both urgent and necessary.]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-international-monetary-fund-sounds-wake-up-call-for-belgium/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-international-monetary-fund-sounds-wake-up-call-for-belgium/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Ageing is not a fatality</title>
<description><![CDATA[ In our country ageing is seen as a threat for our pensions and health system. According to the Institut Montaigne ageing is not a fatality. Another approach more offensive is possible. As far as this is concerned, Japan might be a good example. Following the Japanese example, Montaigne gives 8 concrete propositions in order to transform ageing into a potential source of growth. Among others, Montaigne proposes to develop a more dynamic labour market for young seniors by abolishing the age limit and all the early retirement mechanisms. According to the authors the healthcare system must also change. A possible solution is to act in favor of cheaper solutions such as home care.  
Transforming ageing into an opportunity is necessary in order to face tomorrow’s challenges.]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 09 Jan 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/ageing-is-not-a-fatality/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/ageing-is-not-a-fatality/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Healthcare spending under pressure</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Ageing is putting an extra pressure on healthcare spending. U.S. health spending is projected to increase of 25 % between 2006 and 2016 (from 16 percent of GDP to 20 percent). This Commonwealth Fund Commission on a High Performance Health System paper examines federal policy options that have the potential to lower health spending relative to projected trends. They include policies that would: produce and use better information for health care decision-making, promote health and enhance disease prevention, align financial incentives with quality and efficiency, and correct price signals in health care markets.
Some of these options are also useful for Belgium. Indeed, according the Belgian Commission on Ageing, the percentage of Belgian public spending allocated to healthcare will increase of more than 15% between 2004 and 2020.]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 26 Dec 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/healthcare-spending-under-pressure/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/healthcare-spending-under-pressure/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Belgians assess their healthcare system</title>
<description><![CDATA[ How do the Belgians perceive their Healthcare system? The insurance company DKV answers this question in its National Health Survey. This report shows that most of the Belgians consider that the healthcare system is under pressure due to ageing. Almost half of the population also thinks that complementary insurance should be promoted. Policy makers could draw interesting lessons from this overview of the perception of healthcare by the population.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 14 Dec 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/belgians-assess-their-healthcare-system/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/belgians-assess-their-healthcare-system/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>The challenges of patients' participation in Belgium</title>
<description><![CDATA[ This King Baudouin Foundation report aims to drawn a map of patients’ participation into the Healthcare system in Belgium and abroad. In Belgium, patients are often organized according to a specific pathology. Most of the time, they are not well represented in advisory boards. According to the KBF, these organizations will face two mains challenges on their way to professionalisation: gaining more technocratic expertise and gathering enough financial means while remaining independent.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 14 Dec 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-challenges-of-patients-participation-in-belgium/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-challenges-of-patients-participation-in-belgium/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Will generics rescue the budget?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ With the aim of controlling health care spending, public authorities in several countries increasingly recommend the use of “generic” drugs or of therapeutic substitutes. Doctors are putted under pressure to replace some medicines with cheaper alternatives. According to this study of the Molinari Institute, this policy involves a bureaucratization of drug use that presents risks for the health of the insured and a potential increase in other health care expenses.]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/will-generics-rescue-the-budget/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/will-generics-rescue-the-budget/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>More for less? Efficiency of education and health care in the Group of Seven</title>
<description><![CDATA[ This IMF paper addresses the efficiency of public spending on education and health in the G7 countries. The authors find that policies and institutions are clearly associated with differences in efficiency. Public spending is less efficient in countries where budgets for education and health largely consist of wages and salaries. Lower student-teacher ratios and more autonomy of schools enhance efficiency in the education sector. With cost-increasing technological progress and ageing driving up the cost of health care, reducing inefficiencies in the health sector will be key for achieving sustainable fiscal policies and overcoming obstacles to international competition in G7 countries. Belgium is not included in the analysis, but can definitely learn on the performance of educational and healthcare systems from this cross-country study on the Group of Seven.]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/more-for-less-efficiency-of-education-and-health-care-in-the-group-of-seven/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/more-for-less-efficiency-of-education-and-health-care-in-the-group-of-seven/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Is the Belgian healthcare system declining?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Belgium looses 3 places at the Euro Health Consumer Index published by Health Consumer Powerhouse, dropping from rank 7 to rank 10. This barometer compares the relative performance of 29 European countries with respect to 5 criteria’s: patient rights and information, waiting time for treatment, outcomes and generosity, pharmaceuticals. This is an interesting comparative report showing that Belgium “champions at accessibility but suffers on outcome quality”. Together with a reflexion on necessary reforms, this report from the Health Consumer Powerhouse is a good benchmark.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/is-the-belgian-healthcare-system-declining/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/is-the-belgian-healthcare-system-declining/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Belgian healthcare policy is not adapted to grey migration.</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Migration and ageing are no isolated phenomena: immigrants/foreigners are increasingly part of the collective ageing of our society, causing new integration problems. This study of the King Baudouin Foundation investigates the impact of this evolution on both the host community and people of foreign origin. In terms of social assistance, health care and social protection, host country Belgium has not always carried out the adaptations which the migrant population considers as crucial. The study warns for “copy-pasting” our own model of elderly care. Autonomy is an important value for elderly of foreign origin, whereas indigenous elderly rather consider the feeling of familial “dependence” as vital.]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 01 Oct 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/grey-migration/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/grey-migration/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Can competition improve healthcare performance?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Could market mechanisms be used to improve health care systems efficiency without threatening equity or quality? This report makes several propositions of reforms, mainly based on the implementation of tougher competition between health suppliers in order to give them incentives to deliver their services at a lower cost. Among these propositions, the authors suggest a better integration between health insurers and providers of health care. This question is of particular interest in Belgium where experts often point out the lack of means of control of insurers over health providers.]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 20 Sep 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/competition-and-choice-in-health-care-delivery/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/competition-and-choice-in-health-care-delivery/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Toward a more substantial disease prevention policy&#8230;</title>
<description><![CDATA[ There is a substantial difference between the financial resources allocated to disease prevention and treatments in Belgium. The Communities, responsible in the matter of disease prevention, have indeed few incentives to implement programs which benefits are only apparent in the long run and which are mainly profitable to the federal government, in charge of health care reimbursements. Some financing policies could however lead to an improved public investment in the matter of disease prevention.]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Aug 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/toward-a-more-substantial-disease-prevention-policy/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/toward-a-more-substantial-disease-prevention-policy/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Ageing but healthy</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Ageing hangs as the Sword of Damocles over the current governmental negotiations. Marc De Vos explains that the impact of ageing is also caused by the ageing of the working-age population, which is not beneficial to future innovation and productivity. On the other hand, the ageing workforce is ever healthier and better trained. We need to grasp that opportunity to capitalize on the benefits of ageing.]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 17 Jul 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/ageing-but-healthy/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/ageing-but-healthy/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Evidence Based inhoud van geschreven informatie vanuit de farmaceutische industrie aan huisartsen</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Physicians have a crucial role to play in the definition of medical treatments financed by health authorities. It is therefore essential to give them a correct information. A study realized by the Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre suggests that the information provided to physicians by the pharmaceutical sector is rather commercial than scientific and call thus for a better practice.]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/evidence-based-inhoud-van-geschreven-informatie/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/evidence-based-inhoud-van-geschreven-informatie/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Health in Europe: A Strategic Approach. Discussion Document for a Health Strategy.</title>
<description><![CDATA[ At the end of 2006, the European Commission launched a consultation process from all European Countries. This consultation was to enable stakeholders to provide input into how a new health strategy should be developed and implemented. The consultation ended in February 2007. This document gives us the very interesting results for the new strategy: priorities, objectives, implementation, involvement of member states and other stakeholders.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 29 Jun 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/health-in-europe-a-strategic-approach-document-for-health-strategy/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/health-in-europe-a-strategic-approach-document-for-health-strategy/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Future and Affordability of Belgian Health Care</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Marc De Vos reflects on the evolutions and the future of the Belgian health care system in a speech to medical students.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 30 Mar 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-future-and-affordability-of-belgian-health-care/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-future-and-affordability-of-belgian-health-care/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Misguided War against Medicines</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Is Big Pharma to blame for healthcare explosion? Can we blame the patent policy of the pharmaceutical sector for the failure of government health insurance to remain financially stable? Brett Skinner and Mark Rovere from the Fraser Institute address this question for Canada and come up with an alternative explanation.]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 01 Feb 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/misguided-war-against-medicines/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/misguided-war-against-medicines/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Future Hospital: The progressive Case for Change</title>
<description><![CDATA[ What role for hospitals in healthcare reform? Hospitals are local institutions and implementing changes can be politically difficult. Given the dynamics of healthcare, however, hospital change is inevitable. The Institute for Public Policy Research focuses on the objectives and the process of hospital change. ]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 01 Jan 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-future-hospital-the-progressive-case-for-change/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-future-hospital-the-progressive-case-for-change/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Economic Effects of Germany&#8217;s Reference Pricing Policy for Drugs</title>
<description><![CDATA[ More on the effects of price regulation for drugs. One of the main instruments used by the UK Health Department to control National Health Service (NHS) expenditure on branded drugs is the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS). The Office of Fair Trading now doubts the efficiency of the scheme and proposes value based price financing as the better alternative. ]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 01 Dec 2006 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/economic-effects-germanys-reference-pricing-policy-for-drugs/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/economic-effects-germanys-reference-pricing-policy-for-drugs/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>How Healthy is Belgium&#8217;s Health Care?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Belgian's health care system is in transition. Marc De Vos identifies negative trends that may turn into gradual decline in the absence of genuine reform.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 24 Nov 2006 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/how-healthy-is-belgium-s-health-care/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/how-healthy-is-belgium-s-health-care/</guid>
<enclosure url="http://www.itinerainstitute.org/upl/1/default/doc/Nota22_Health_Care.pdf" length="40479" type="application/pdf" />
</item>
<item>
<title>The Economic Cost of Obesity</title>
<description><![CDATA[ The analysis provided by Access Economics shows how obesity is weighting on society’s welfare and estimates to AU$21.0 billion (€13.05 billion) its total cost in Australia in 2005. This total cost includes the financial cost (loss productivity, health system cost, indirect costs,…) as well as and an estimation of the intangible cost (loss of wellbeing) associated to obesity. These data are particularly interesting for public authorities in charge of health policies in Belgium where the prevalence of obesity is growing: 20% to 30% of the Belgian population is now estimated to be obese. It could thus be useful to use this analysis to evaluate all the benefits associated to a program that would fight obesity and therefore assess whether such a program is worth implementing.]]></description>
<pubDate>Sun, 29 Oct 2006 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-economic-cost-of-obesity/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-economic-cost-of-obesity/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>De Evolutie van de Uitgaven voor de Gezondheidszorg in Belgi&#235;. Een dynamisch evenwicht tussen de beheersing van de openbare uitgaven en de financi&#235;le bescherming van de pati&#235;nt</title>
<description><![CDATA[ How do health care expenditures in Belgium evolve? The Christian mutual fund (CM) seeks a dynamic equilibrium between public expenditure restraints and the financial protection of patients. ]]></description>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Oct 2006 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/evolutie-uitgaven-gezondheidszorg-belgie-dynamisch-evenwicht-tussen-beheersing-openbare-uitgaven-financiele-bescherming-patient/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/evolutie-uitgaven-gezondheidszorg-belgie-dynamisch-evenwicht-tussen-beheersing-openbare-uitgaven-financiele-bescherming-patient/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Medicaid Makeover. Six Tough (and Unavoidable) Choices on the Road to Reform</title>
<description><![CDATA[ What can Belgium learn from cost containment programmes in other countries’ healthcare systems? Deloitte formulates six questions for the Medicaid programme in the US. ]]></description>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Oct 2006 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/medicaid-makeover-six-tough-and-unavoidable-choices-road-reform/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/medicaid-makeover-six-tough-and-unavoidable-choices-road-reform/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Doping, Rat Race and Sport Utopia</title>
<description><![CDATA[ The professional sports again received a serious blow as a result of new doping scandals. The dream of sports without doping is however a naive projection of soft goals from the civil society to the hard and meritocratic world of professional sports. The debate on doping should include the logics of the rat race concept as well as the vague boundaries between medical treatments and doping.]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 15 Aug 2006 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/doping-rat-race-and-sport-utopia/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/doping-rat-race-and-sport-utopia/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>The Expanding Pharmaceutical Arsenal in the War on Cancer</title>
<description><![CDATA[ What is the impact of pharmaceutical innovation on cancer survival? Frank Lichtenberg investigates U.S. and international evidence and demonstrates the importance of access to new treatments in advancing health.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 01 Oct 2004 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-expanding-pharmaceutical-arsenal-in-the-war-on-cancer/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-expanding-pharmaceutical-arsenal-in-the-war-on-cancer/</guid>
</item>
</channel>
</rss>
