The Public/ Private Sector Mix in the Italian Healthcare System. Some Issues of Equity and Quality of Care

This chapter focuses on the Italian healthcare system. Special attention is paid to the mix of public and private (at the level of both financing and service provision) and the consequences in terms of the equity and quality of healthcare. The concept of health equity is analyzed with respect to four dimensions: (1) equity in financing; (2) equity in resource allocation; (3) equity in access to healthcare; and (4) equity in healthcare utilization. The aim of the chapter is to evaluate the extent to which the Italian NHS succeeds in guaranteeing the equity and quality of healthcare in actual practice