Cover -- Half-title -- Title -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Contributors -- Biographies -- Acknowledgements -- Section 1 Introduction -- 1 Why this book? -- References -- Section 2 Equity in general -- 2 Health and health inequalities in a neo-liberal global world -- Summary -- Introduction -- Health inequalities -- national and international -- Neo-liberalism: a brief critique -- A note on class versus socio-economic status -- Health and inequalities in a global world -- The developed nations -- Neo-liberalism, income inequalities and health inequalities within nations: some examples -- The less-developed world -- What can be done? -- Discussion -- References -- 3 Governing the market in health care: the social and political requirements -- Summary -- The axial ages of survival chances -- The entry into the fourth axial age -- Why ungoverned markets cannot deliver health for all -- Alternative models: governing the market versus being governed by it -- References -- 4 Equity in the context of diversity of culture and diversity of economic systems -- Summary -- Introduction and background -- Welfarism, extra-welfarism and communitarianism -- Culture and economic systems -- Applying the paradigm -- Conclusion -- References -- 5 Beware of the libertarian wolf in the clothing of the egalitarian sheep: an essay on the need to clarify ends and means -- Summary -- Introduction -- Defining and adopting ideological positions -- Avoiding obvious inefficiencies in the delivery of health care -- Using market mechanisms in egalitarian health care systems -- Where to now? -- References -- Section 3 Health service access -- 6 Exploring the dimensions of access -- Summary -- Introduction -- What is access? -- An 'A-frame' -- Availability -- Affordability -- Acceptability.

Information and the degree of fit between health system and individual factors -- Implications of the 'A-frame' for evaluation of access -- A case study of access to malaria control and treatment in Northern Ghana -- Methods -- Results -- Lessons from 'access mapping' -- Conclusions -- References -- 7 Acceptability, trust and equity -- Summary -- Introduction -- The elements of acceptability -- Acceptability and trust as influences over health care equity -- The wider influences embedded in acceptability and access -- Taking action on acceptability and trust access barriers -- Conclusions -- References -- Section 4 Equity and health systems -- 8 International migration and extreme health inequality: robust arguments and institutions for international redistribution in health care -- Summary -- Introduction -- Health professionals' international migration: labour market integration, impact and policy options -- Scale, trends and context -- Distributive consequences -- Policy responses: punishment, exclusion, restitution or redistribution? -- Health care and redistribution in unitary and federal contexts -- Health systems as sites of stable intranational redistribution -- Inter-state fiscal redistribution with labour mobility in federal and semi-federal contexts -- Beyond development aid? Arguments and mechanisms for global redistribution in health care -- Conclusion: embedding sustained redistribution in mutual obligation and knowledge in health care -- References -- 9 Pay the piper and call the tune: changing health care financing mechanisms to address public-private health sector mix inequities -- Summary -- Introduction -- The African health and health system context -- Key concepts -- Key characteristics of an equitable health system -- Transforming the public-private mix: the role of financing -- General tax funding -- Mandatory health insurance.

Conclusions -- References -- Section 5 Lessons from individual countries -- 10 Equity in health financing, resource allocation and health service utilization in Brazil: past, present and future -- Summary -- Introduction -- Equity in health financing -- Methodology -- Data sources and treatment -- Results and analysis -- Kakwani index for financing the Brazilian health system -- Equity in the geographical allocation of resources -- Procedures for resource allocation according to population needs -- An alternative approach to estimating health care needs for the Brazilian environment -- Equity in health services utilization -- Factors affecting inequalities in utilization -- Place of residence matters -- Education affects income inequalities in utilization of services -- Recent trends in inequalities in health care service utilization in Brazil -- Conclusions -- References -- 11 Improving health-related information systems to monitor equity in health: lessons from Thailand -- Summary -- Introduction -- Evidence of health equity achievements in Thailand -- Applying National Health Accounts and the household socio-economic survey for monitoring equity in health care finance -- Using the Health and Welfare Survey to monitor equity in health service use and the public subsidy to health care -- Chronic illness and health-related quality of life -- Stakeholders' views on the priority health equity issues -- Perceptions about equity achievements, before and after the introduction of universal health care coverage -- Information systems for health equity monitoring and evaluation -- Population and household surveys -- Disease surveillance and registries -- Administrative data and routine reports -- Conclusion and recommendations -- References -- Section 6 Future action -- 12 Where now with equity? -- Introduction.

Neo-liberalism is bad for our health and our health systems -- Equitable development is good for our health and our health systems -- Tackling the worst excesses of globalization -- Health systems as a key redistributive mechanism -- Health systems as important social institutions -- Equitable access as an achievable policy goal -- Remaining ever vigilant -- References -- Index.