Interest group theory and nursing homes
If the interest group theory applies to hospitals, why
doesn’t it also apply to nursing homes? Would a doctor-owned, for-profit
hospital be as attractive to physicians as a nonprofit hospital?
Can we say which are the most efficient hospitals nonprofits
or for-profits? Which are the most efficient nursing homes? What qualifications
apply to our present knowledge in each case? What is your view?
Explain why it is often claimed that hospitals compete for
doctors rather than patients. What are some of the implications of this
phenomenon, assuming that it is true?
Even nonprofit hospitals must earn a profit. Evaluate this
statement.
Suppose that the licensure requirements for health care
providers were eliminated. Use supply-and-demand analysis to predict what may
happen to the price and quantity of health care services. Are there other
considerations, in particular, mechanism that could evolve to replace
licensure?
Explain and distinguish between the concentration ratio and
the HHI. What ate the limitations of these measures within the context of the
pharmaceutical industry?
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription drugs
is growing rapidly. List several products with which you have become familiar
as a result of such advertising. Discuss the pros and cons of DTC advertising
from the perspective of physicians and patients.
