THE IMPACT OF HEALTH ECONOMICS ON HEALTH-POLICY IN ENGLAND, AND THE IMPACT OF HEALTH-POLICY ON HEALTH ECONOMICS, 1972-1997

This paper contains a review of the impact of health economics on heal th policy in England during the past 25 years. Some health economists have expressed disappointment with the scale of the impact that health economics has had on policy but the record set out below suggests tha t there is modest cause for celebration. That is not to say that there is cause for complacency. There is still a long way to go before all important health policies are based an sound economics reasoning and e vidence. The paper begins with some definitions and background; it cov ers nine areas of health policy, and health policy making, where past impacts of health economics have been postulated; it covers briefly th e reciprocal impact of health policy on health economics; and it concl udes with a discussion about the findings.