Pharmaceutical Spending and German Reunification: Parity Comes Quickly to Berlin

As the Berlin Wall fell and the population of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, West Germany) swelled by 25 percent with the addition of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany), the health care system struggled to keep pace. This article examines drug outlays by the statutory s...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor principal: Katz, Eric M.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: CENTERS for MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES 1994
Materias:
Prescription Drugs: Payment and Policy Issues
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4193456/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10137795
Descripción
Sumario:As the Berlin Wall fell and the population of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, West Germany) swelled by 25 percent with the addition of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany), the health care system struggled to keep pace. This article examines drug outlays by the statutory sickness funds during the first 2 years of unified operations. It shows that providing equivalent coverage quickly led to equal rates of pharmaceutical consumption nationwide, while in Berlin the former East outdistanced the West by a considerable margin.

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