Abstract
A common argument in the health policy debate is that market forces allocate resources efficiently in health care, and that government intervention distorts such allocation. Rarely do those making such claims state explicitly that the market they refer to is an ideal in economic theory which can only exist under very strict conditions. This paper explores the strict conditions necessary for that ideal market in the context of health care as a means of examining the claim that market forces do allocate resources efficiently in health care.
Publication details
- DOI
- 10.18295/2075-0528.1290
- Journal
- Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 11(3), 328-337
- Publisher
- Sultan Qaboos University
- Open access
- Gold open access
- License
- CC BY-ND 4.0
Cite this article
APA 7
Mwachofi, A., & Al-Assaf, A. F. (2025). Health Care Market Deviations from the Ideal Market. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 11(3), 328-337. https://doi.org/10.18295/2075-0528.1290
MLA 9
Mwachofi, Ari, and Assaf F. Al-Assaf. "Health Care Market Deviations from the Ideal Market." Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, vol. 11, no. 3, 2025, pp. 328-337. https://doi.org/10.18295/2075-0528.1290.
Chicago (author–date)
Mwachofi, Ari, and Assaf F. Al-Assaf. 2025. "Health Care Market Deviations from the Ideal Market." Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal 11 (3): 328-337. https://doi.org/10.18295/2075-0528.1290.
Harvard
Mwachofi, A. and Al-Assaf, A. F. (2025) 'Health Care Market Deviations from the Ideal Market', Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 11(3), pp. 328-337. doi:10.18295/2075-0528.1290.
Vancouver
Mwachofi A, Al-Assaf AF. Health Care Market Deviations from the Ideal Market. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal. 2025;11(3):328-337. doi:10.18295/2075-0528.1290
IEEE
A. Mwachofi, and A. F. Al-Assaf, "Health Care Market Deviations from the Ideal Market," Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 328-337, 2025, doi: 10.18295/2075-0528.1290.