Abstract
Frequent claims suggest that healthcare and its production are not only different from other goods, but that they differ to such an extent that healthcare should be viewed as unique. Various features of healthcare, such as the lack of a perfect market and the existence of information asymmetry, are cited as evidence of this claim. However, such a view results from unduly emphasising the characteristics of healthcare as being atypical. This article redresses this imbalance by taking an alternative approach and examines the ways in which the economic aspects of healthcare are similar to those of other goods. It was found that the differential aspects are less distinctive than claimed and the economic aspects of healthcare are not unique.
Publication details
- DOI
- 10.18295/squmj.2020.20.02.006
- Journal
- Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 20(2), e165-172
- Publisher
- Sultan Qaboos University
- Open access
- Gold open access
- License
- CC BY-ND 4.0
Cite this article
APA 7
Chambers, S. (2025). Why the Economic Aspects of Healthcare are not Unique. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 20(2), e165-172. https://doi.org/10.18295/squmj.2020.20.02.006
MLA 9
Chambers, Stephen. "Why the Economic Aspects of Healthcare are not Unique." Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, vol. 20, no. 2, 2025, pp. e165-172. https://doi.org/10.18295/squmj.2020.20.02.006.
Chicago (author–date)
Chambers, Stephen. 2025. "Why the Economic Aspects of Healthcare are not Unique." Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal 20 (2): e165-172. https://doi.org/10.18295/squmj.2020.20.02.006.
Harvard
Chambers, S. (2025) 'Why the Economic Aspects of Healthcare are not Unique', Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, 20(2), pp. e165-172. doi:10.18295/squmj.2020.20.02.006.
Vancouver
Chambers S. Why the Economic Aspects of Healthcare are not Unique. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal. 2025;20(2):e165-172. doi:10.18295/squmj.2020.20.02.006
IEEE
S. Chambers, "Why the Economic Aspects of Healthcare are not Unique," Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. e165-172, 2025, doi: 10.18295/squmj.2020.20.02.006.