AN ECONOMIC CONCEPT OF HEALTH STATUS
Abstract
What is the best way to conceptualize and measure health status? It is accepted in the health economics literature that the best concepts of health status are morbidity measures (rather than mortality measures) because morbidity measures can capture aspects of the quality of life of the population as well as the individual. There is as yet no consensus regarding the best morbidity concepts or measurement methods. This paper develops a concept of health status in terms of the individual’s illness. The reasoning is that, at least for curative medical care, the appropriate concept of health status is a measure of how ill a person is. This paper proposes a variable termed severity-of-illness to represent how ill a person is. Severity-of-illness is a health deviation obtainable by comparing the person’s level of health when sick with the same person’s level of health when healthy. This illness concept of health status is in agreement with common usage.References
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Riman, H. And E. Akpan (2012) Healthcare Financing and Health Outcomes in Nigeria: A State-level study using Multivariate Analysis. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science. Vol.2 #15. 296 – 309.
Van de Ven, W. and J. van der Gaag (1982) “Health as an Unobservable: A MIMIC-Model of Demand for Health Care,” Journal of Health Economics 1.157 – 183.
Van de Ven, W. and B. van Praag (1981) “Risk-aversion and Deductibles in Private Health Insurance: Application of an Adjusted Tobit Model to Family Health Care Expenditures,” in J. Van der Gaag and M. Perlman (eds.) Health, Economics, and Health Economics. Amsterdam: North Holland Publishing Company. 125 – 148.
Wedig, G. (1988) “Health Status and the Demand for Health: Results on Price Elasticities,” Journal of Health Economics 7. 151 – 163.
Weisbrob, B. (1991) “The Health Care Quadrilemma: An Essay on Technological Change, Insurance, Quality of Care, and Cost Containment,” Journal of Economic Literature 29. 523 – 552.
Williams, A. (1981) “Welfare Economics and Health Status,” in J. Va der Gaag and M. Perlman (eds.) Health, Economics, and Health Economics Amsterdam: North Holland Publishing Company. 271 – 281.
Wolfe, B. And J. van der Gaag (1981) “A New Health Status Index for Children,” in J. Va der Gaag and M. Perlman (eds.) Health, Economics, and Health Economics. Amsterdam: North Holland Publishing Company. 283 – 304.
Arrow, K. (1963) “Uncertainty and the Welfare Economics of Medical Care,” American Economic Review 53. 941 – 973.
Ataguba, J. (2008) “Community Health Insurance Scheme as a Viable Option for Rural Population in Nigeria.” Paper Submitted to the Centre for the Study of African Economies, University of Oxford.
Ataguba, J., H. Ichoku and W. Fonta (2007) An Estimation of the Willingness-to Pay for Community Healthcare Insurance Scheme in Rural Nigeria. Research Submitted to PEP Research Network, Department of Economics, Universite Laval.
Berndit, M. and J. Williamson (1973) “Functional Limitation Scale for Measuring Health Outcomes,” in R. Berg, ed., Health Status Indexes: Proceedings of a Conference Conducted by Health Services Research (Hospital Research and Educational Trust, Chicago).
Boulding, K. (1966) “The Concept of Need for Health Services,” Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly. 31 – 49.
Bush, J.(1973) Discussion, in R. Berg, ed., Health Status Indexes: Proceedings of a Conference Conducted by Health Services Research (Hospital Research and Educational Trust, Chicago).
Dardanoni, V. and A. Wagstaff (1987) “Uncertainty, Inequalities in Health and the Demand for Health,” Journal of Health Economics 6. 283 – 290.
Grossman, M. (1972) “On the Concept of Health Capital and the Demand for Health,” Journal of Political Economy 80. 223 – 255.
Horn, S. and P. Sharkey (1983) “Measuring Severity of Illness to Predict Resource Use Within DRGs,” Inquiry 20. 314 – 321.
Joreskog, K. and A. Goldberger (1975) “Estimation of a Model with Multiple Indicators and Multiple Causes of a Single Latent Variable,” Journal of the American Statistical Association 70. 631 – 639.
Joreskog, K. and D. Sorbom (1989) LISREL 7: A Guide to the Program and Applications. Chicago: SPSS Inc. (2nd ed.)
Lillard, L., W. Manning, C. Peterson, N. Lurie, G. Goldberg and C. Phelps (1986) “Preventive Medical Care: Standards, Usage, and Efficacy,” R-3266-HCFA, Santa Monica: Rand.
Phelps, C. (1992) Health Economics. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Riman, H. And E. Akpan (2012) Healthcare Financing and Health Outcomes in Nigeria: A State-level study using Multivariate Analysis. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science. Vol.2 #15. 296 – 309.
Van de Ven, W. and J. van der Gaag (1982) “Health as an Unobservable: A MIMIC-Model of Demand for Health Care,” Journal of Health Economics 1.157 – 183.
Van de Ven, W. and B. van Praag (1981) “Risk-aversion and Deductibles in Private Health Insurance: Application of an Adjusted Tobit Model to Family Health Care Expenditures,” in J. Van der Gaag and M. Perlman (eds.) Health, Economics, and Health Economics. Amsterdam: North Holland Publishing Company. 125 – 148.
Wedig, G. (1988) “Health Status and the Demand for Health: Results on Price Elasticities,” Journal of Health Economics 7. 151 – 163.
Weisbrob, B. (1991) “The Health Care Quadrilemma: An Essay on Technological Change, Insurance, Quality of Care, and Cost Containment,” Journal of Economic Literature 29. 523 – 552.
Williams, A. (1981) “Welfare Economics and Health Status,” in J. Va der Gaag and M. Perlman (eds.) Health, Economics, and Health Economics Amsterdam: North Holland Publishing Company. 271 – 281.
Wolfe, B. And J. van der Gaag (1981) “A New Health Status Index for Children,” in J. Va der Gaag and M. Perlman (eds.) Health, Economics, and Health Economics. Amsterdam: North Holland Publishing Company. 283 – 304.
Published
2016-06-01
How to Cite
EZE, Pius C.
AN ECONOMIC CONCEPT OF HEALTH STATUS.
GOUNI Journal of Management and Social Sciences, [S.l.], v. 4, n. 1, june 2016.
ISSN 2550-7265. Available at: <http://journal.gouni.edu.ng/index.php/fmss/article/view/8>. Date accessed: 14 may 2018.
Issue
Section
Articles
Keywords
health, health economics, health status
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