Table 1 Main characteristics of intervention countries and intervention and control regions
Country | Health System | intervention region | control region |
|---|---|---|---|
Hungary | Centralised national health insurance fund, limited private sector | Miskolc population 180,000 | Szeged population 170,000 |
Ireland | Tax funded public health service, with supplemental voluntary insurance | Limerick population 184,055 | Galway population 231,670 |
Portugal | mix of National Health Service, special social health insurance schemes for certain professions and private health insurance | Amadora population 200,000 | Almada population 110,000 |
Germany | Bismarckian/social health insurance system with strong public-private partnership | Leipzig population 500,000 | Magdeburg population 230,000 |