Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 26th NISPAcee Annual Conference Program Overview Main Conference Theme Author(s) Ioana Teodora Bitoiu National School of Political Studies and Public Administration BUCURESTI Romania Popa Florin Marius, Radulescu Crina, Title Willingness to pay for Public Healthcare – The Cost of Performance and Value File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Ioana Teodora Bitoiu Abstract The public healthcare system is heavily influenced by the 3C trilemma – cost – coverage – choice. The paper’s argument tackles the fact that should the public decision on improving capacity be leaning towards universal coverage it would result in efficiency losses and, in an attempt to control the costs it would limit patients’ choice. Should priority be given to performance or value so to better grasp the customer’s willingness-to-pay taxes that cover the cost of the provided service? The paper’s structure is three-folded: on one hand, the theoretical framework provides us with a better understanding of what the efficiency-equity compromise would trigger, taking into account that a functional healthcare system would probably work better under private market rules, but the public system’s just feature cannot be ignored. Nevertheless, the public action is more and more focused on improved capacity, efficiency and better resource allocation. On the other hand, the paper provides us with an example of how improved healthcare services capacity is not without cost considerations. Last but not least, the conclusions suggest us a different kind of view upon the complex healthcare system. In terms of methodology, the paper uses both a qualitative research for the theoretical background needed to substantiate the argument of the entire research, and a quantitative one, namely a sociological questionnaire for assessing trust in the public healthcare system. The items shall be aiming at factors influencing the corruption phenomenon, which directly impacts the perceived value of the service. The sample is split in three in terms of the tested institutions’ location – Transilvania area, Muntenia area and Moldova area - , and in two in terms of the administrative level (local or central civil servants aware of the corruption phenomenon in the healthcare system).
