Thomas Rice is Distinguished Professor of Health Policy and Management at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. A health economist, his areas of interest include international health care systems, health insurance, competition and regulation, and behavioral economics. He has also written books on health economics, the behavioral economics of health, and the U.S. health care system. Dr. Rice was previously editor of the journal, Medical Care Research and Review, and is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. He has served as Chair of the Board of Directors of AcademyHealth, the leading U.S. organization focused on the health services and health policy research, and has chaired its Board of Directors and directed its Annual Research Meeting.

• Part 1: Introduction1. The Need for and Challenges of International Comparisons2. Overview of Key Components of National Health Insurance SystemsPart 2: The CountriesA. Universal Coverage Systems with no Choice of Insurer3. The United Kingdom4. Canada5. Sweden6. Australia7. France8. JapanB. University Coverage Systems with Competing Insurers9. Germany10. Switzerland11. The NetherlandsC. Systems Without Universal Coverage12. The United StatesPart 3: Assessment13. Summary of Health System Characteristics14. Efficiency15. Equity16. Lessons