Verh K Acad Geneeskd Belg. 1995 ; 57(4): 271-301.

[The price of quality: health care expenditures and quality of life]

Vleugels AM.

Universitaire Ziekenhuizen Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.

In an era where the substitution of health policy by budgetary arguments is imminent, this paper aims to offer some elements in the discussion on the relationship between health care expenditures and their effect on quality of life for individuals and society. Historical developments, present differences in medical consumption and in outcome, the growing interest in alternative medicine, the use of new medical technologies and observations on the expenditures for pharmaceuticals show that this relationship is not self-evident and that generalizations must be avoided. The observations lead to an argument of more efficiency in the use of health care resources.