Health Systems Governance in Europe - The Role of European Union Law and Policy

There is a fundamental contradiction at the core of health policy in the EU that makes it difficult to draw a line between EU and Member State responsibilities. This raises a number of difficult questions for policy makers and practitioners as they struggle to interpret both 'hard' and 'soft' laws at EU and Member State level and to reconcile tensions between economic and social imperatives in health care. The book addresses these complex questions by combining analysis of the underlying issues with carefully chosen case studies that illustrate how broader principles are played out in practice. Each chapter addresses a topical area in which there is considerable debate and potential uncertainty. The book thus offers a comprehensive discussion of a number of current and emerging governance issues in EU health policy, including regulatory, legal, 'new governance' and policy-making dynamics, and the application of the legal framework in these areas. • Comprehensively examines the impact of EU legislation on healthcare provision • Sets out current challenges and opportunities facing health policy makers across Europe • Provides a critique of the limitations of EU legislation

1. Health systems governance in Europe: the role of EU law and policy Elias Mossialos, Govin Permanand, Rita Baeten and Tamara Hervey 2. Health care and the EU: the law and policy patchwork Tamara Hervey and Bart Vanhercke 3. EU regulatory agencies and health protection Govin Permanand and Ellen Vos 4. The hard politics of soft law: the case of health Scott L. Greer and Bart Vanhercke 5. Public health policies Martin McKee, Tamara Hervey and Anna Gilmore 6. Fundamental rights and health care Jean McHale 7. EU competition law and public services Tony Prosser 8. EU competition law and health policy Julia Lear, Elias Mossialos and Beatrix Karl 9. Public procurement and state aid in national health care systems Vassilis Hatzopoulos 10. Private health insurance and the internal market Sarah Thomson and Elias Mossialos 11. Free movement of services in the EU and health care Wouter Gekiere, Rita Baeten and Willy Palm 12. Enabling patient mobility in the EU: between free movement and coordination Willy Palm and Irene A. Glinos 13. The EU legal framework on e-health Stefaan Callens 14. EU law and health professionals Miek Peeters, Martin McKee and Sherry Merkur 15. The EU pharmaceuticals market: parameters and pathways Leigh Hancher