Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction and overview -- Health and health behaviors -- Demand for health care services -- Demand for private health insurance -- The market for physicians' services -- Hospitals -- Quality of care and medical malpractice -- Nurses in hospital and long-term care service -- Pharmaceutical manufacturers -- The supply of private health insurance -- Private financing of health care services -- Government financing and private supply -- Public supply and financing -- Cost and cost-effectiveness analysis -- Measuring benefits and cost-benefit analysis -- The contribution of personal health services to longevity, population health, and economic growth -- Frontiers of health economics.