Trends in cost sharing among selected high income countries—2000–2010

Many high income countries increased their level of patient cost sharing between 2000 and 2010 as one component of their policy agenda to reduce the level of health care spending. We use data from the OECD, European Observatory, and country-specific resources to analyze trends in the UK, Germany, Japan, France, and the United States. Some forms of cost sharing—deductibles, co-insurance, or co-payments—increased in all these countries, with the...