The report is about the public hospitals' purchase of services from private hospitals and the quality of said services. Furthermore, the report is about the Ministry of Health and Prevention's follow-up on the effect of employer-paid health insurances on the citizens' access to hospital services.
In recent years, a number of new healthcare initiatives have created a fertile ground for significan private hospital sector growth. This development has provided the citizens with more options and at the same time increased competition between public and private hospitals. The extended free choice of hospital, stated in the Danish Health Act, and tax exemption for employer-paid health insurances under the Danish Tax Act, are essential policies in this relation.
One of the objectives of the study was to assess whether the Ministry of Health and Prevention and the regions have taken into consideration price and quality when they organized the purchase of private hospital services under the extended free choice policy. Another objective was to assess, whether the Ministry of Health and Prevention has a clear picture of the extent to which the increase in employer-paid health insurances has affected the citizens' access to hospital services.