During the past three decades, health care systems in the East Asian regions of China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan have undergone major changes. Each system has its unique achievements and challenges. Global health care policymakers are increasingly interested in understanding the changes that have taken place in these four systems. This four-volume reference set is designed to help health care professionals, academics, policymakers, and general readers gain a good grasp of the background and latest developments in the health care systems of China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. This reference set provides an in-depth comparative health policy analysis and discussion of health care reform strategies in each of these systems. One unique feature of this set is that each volume has been edited by a leading scholar who has been deeply involved in the development of the health care system in that particular region. Each of these editors also has invited both scholars and practitioners to provide a first-hand description and analysis of key health care reform issues in that system. The many examples provided in each volume demonstrate how findings of evidence-based policy research can be implemented into policy practice.

Volume 1 describes and discusses China's ambitious and complex journey of health care reform since 2009. The Chinese government has achieved universal health insurance coverage and has embarked on reforms of the service delivery system and provider payment methods that are aimed at controlling health expenditure growth and improving efficiency. This volume includes pilot and social experiments initiated by the government and researchers and their evaluations that have guided the formulation of health reform policies. It provides information on how to make reforms work at the local and provincial levels. The findings detailed in this volume will contribute to a global knowledge base in health care reforms.

Volume 2 provides a comprehensive review and evaluation of the Japanese health care system. Japan has a long history of health care system development and provision of universal health coverage, with a mature and well-developed health care system among East Asian countries. However, due to increases in health care costs, economic stagnation and the country's rapidly aging population, Japan has undergone significant health care reform during the last two decades, both in the delivery as well as financing of health services in its hospital sector, medical technology sector and long-term care insurance. Despite these challenges and reforms, health outcomes among the Japanese population have been progressively among the best in the world. This volume shows how policy research can lead to policy analysis, implementation and assessment. It also provides valuable lessons learnt for mutual learning among other health care systems.

Volume 3 offers a comprehensive review of the developments in South Korea's national health insurance system since 1989 in terms of financing, delivery systems, and outcomes. The volume analyzes the efficiency of cost and service delivery by public sectors versus private sectors. It points out areas of challenge to future Korean health care reform. Chapter authors in this volume are leading experts involved in Korean health care policy implementation.

Volume 4 reviews the development and achievements of Taiwan Health Insurance since 1995. Because of its continuous reform in payment, services delivery, and pharmaceutical technology, Taiwan has been considered a model example of universal health insurance among global health systems. This volume shows the processes used to translate policy research findings into policy changes. While the health care reform in Taiwan is ongoing, the Taiwan example provides a real-world and practical understanding of health care system changes.

In summary, this four-volume set makes an outstanding contribution to health care system reform and policy research, based on solid scholarly work. It also introduces policy researchers and academic communities to current debates about health systems, health financing, and universal health coverage. This reference volume is a must for anyone keen on East Asia's health care system reform dynamics and changing scene.

Contents:

Volume 1: Health Care System Reform and Policy Research in China (Winnie Chi-Man Yip):
- Introduction (Winnie Chi-Man Yip)
- What Drove the Cycles of Chinese Health System Reforms? (Winnie Chi-Man Yip and William C Hsiao)
- Realignment of Incentives for Health Care Providers in China (Winnie Chi-Man Yip, William C Hsiao, Qingyue Meng, Wen Chen, and Xiaoming Sun)
- Early Appraisal of China's Huge and Complex Health Care Reforms (Winnie Chi-Man Yip, William C Hsiao, Wen Chen, Shanlian Hu, Jin Ma, and Alan Maynard)
- Non-Evidence-Based Policy: How Effective is China's New Cooperative Medical Scheme in Reducing Medical Impoverishment? (Winnie Chi-Man Yip and William C Hsiao)
- The Impact of Rural Mutual Health Care on Health Status: Evaluation of a Social Experiment in Rural China (Hong Wang, Winnie Chi-Man Yip, Licheng Zhang, and William C Hsiao)
- Realigning Demand and Supply Side Incentives to Improve Primary Health Care Seeking in Rural China (Timothy Powell-Jackson, Winnie Chi-Man Yip, and Wei Han)
- Capitation Combined with Pay-for-Performance Improves Antibiotic Prescribing Practices in Rural China (Winnie Chi-Man Yip, Timothy Powell-Jackson, Wen Chen, Min Hu, Eduardo Fe, Mu Hu, Weiyan Jian, Ming Lu, Wei Han, and William C Hsiao)
- The Impact of a Pay-for-Performance Scheme on Prescription Quality in Rural China (Xiaojie Sun, Xiaoyun Liu, Qiang Sun, Winnie Chi-Man Yip, Adam Wagstaff, and Qingyue Meng)
- Doctor Competence and the Demand for Health Care: Evidence from Rural China (Eduardo Fe, Timothy Powell-Jackson, and Winnie Chi-Man Yip)
- Public Hospital Reforms in China: Progress and Challenges (Winnie Chi-Man Yip and Hongqiao Fu)
- Payment Reform Pilot in Beijing Hospitals Reduced Expenditures and Out-of-Pocket Payments Per Admission (Weiyan Jian, Ming Lu, Kit Yee Chan, Adrienne N Poon, Wei Han, Mu Hu, and Winnie Chi-Man Yip)
- Intended and Unintended Impacts of Price Changes for Drugs and Medical Services: Evidence from China (Hongqiao Fu, Ling Li, and Winnie Chi-Man Yip)
- Harnessing the Privatization of China's Fragmented Health Care Delivery (Winnie Chi-Man Yip and William C Hsiao)
Volume 2: Health Care System Reform and Policy Research in Japan (Toshihiko Hasegawa, Tomonori Hasegawa, Tomohiro Hirao, Masahide Kondo, Sunil Mehra):
- Introduction (Toshihiko Hasegawa)
- Historical Review of Health Sector Reform in Japan:
  - Health Sector Reform in Japan (Toshihiko Hasegawa)
  - Koizumi Reform (Tomonori Hasegawa)
- Japanese Health System: Its Evolution and Performance:
  - Health Transition and Historical Development of Health System in Japan (Toshihiko Hasegawa)
  - Demographic and Epidemiological Transition in Japan (Tomohiro Hirao)
  - Scaling Up Community Health Insurance: Japan's Experience with 19th Century — Jyorei Scheme (Sumiko Ogawa)
  - Performance of Health System in Japan Using International Benchmarking (Shuichi Suzuki)
  - How Japan Became Number One in Longevity (Tomoyuki Watanabe)
- Health Promotion Research and Policies:
  - Healthy Japan 21: New Approaches to Health in Super-Aged Society (Kyoko Okamura and Toshihiko Hasegawa)
  - Influencing Policy by Research on Control of Blood Pressure in Japan (Nayu Ikeda)
  - Filling "Vaccine Gap" in Japan by Using Research Evidence (Shu-ling Hoshi, Aiko Shono and Masahide Kondo)
- Health Care Delivery Research and Policy Development:
  - Government Hospital Reform (Keiko Takahashi)
  - Continuity of Care through Linking Community, Clinic and Hospital (Masaki Muto)
  - Evaluation of the Impact of Certificate-of-Need on Hospital Capacity (Koichiro Sawano)
- Human Resources Research and Policy Development:
  - Addressing Challenges in Supply and Distribution of Physicians (Tomonori Hasegawa and Kunichika Matsumoto)
  - History of Human Resources Development Policy for Nurses and Other Health Professionals (Kunichika Matsumoto)
- Outcome Management Research and Policy Development:
  - Outcome Management Research and Policies Including Quality of Care and Safety (Tomonori Hasegawa)
- Health Financing Research to Policy Development:
  - Development of Payment Method and Options for Financing Health Sector in Super-Aged Society (Tomonori Hasegawa)
  - Universal Health Coverage and Private Health Insurance in Japan: From Policy Research to Practice (Masato Kosaka and Masahide Kondo)
  - Pricing and Reimbursement Systems of Drugs and Medical Devices and Health Technology Assessment in Japan (Hiroyuki Sakamaki)
- Research and Policy on Healthcare information and Communication Technology:
  - Health Care Information Delivery with Information and Communication Technology (Sae Ochi)
- Future Challenges and Possible Directions for Japan in the 21st Century:
  - Demographic Drift and a Care Cycle Concept: The Foundation to Build Health Care and Welfare in the 21st Century (Toshihiko Hasegawa)
- Learning from Japan's Experience in Health Care System Reform:
  - Japan's Health System Reform to Build and Maintain UHC: Relevance to Other Countries (Sunil Mehra)
Volume 3: Health Care System Reform and Policy Research in South Korea (Bong-Min Yang):
- Overview of South Korean Health Care System (Bong-Min Yang)
- Achieving Universal Population Coverage and Korean Health Care Delivery (Bong-Min Yang)
- Consolidation of Insurance Funds to a Single Payer: Risk Pooling and Equity in Health Financing (Bong-Min Yang and Eu-Gene Kim)
- Separation between Prescribing and Dispensing of Drugs (Hyoung-Sun Jeong)
- Ten Years of Public Long-Term Care Insurance in South Korea: An Overview and Future Policy Agenda (Hongsoo Kim)
- Cost Sharing and Financial Protection in South Korea (Tae-Jin Lee)
- Payment Systems for Health Care Providers (Soonman Kwon)
- Primary Care in South Korea (Yong-Jun Choi)
- Health Promotion System (Eunjeong Kang)
- Korean Medicine in the Modern Health Care System (Byungmook Lim)
- Pharmaceutical Reforms (Eun-Young Bae)
- Health Technology Assessment (Jeonghoon Ahn)
- Health Care Reform (Soonman Kwon)
- Lessons Learned and the Way Forward (Bong-Min Yang)
Volume 4: Health Care System Reform and Policy Research in Taiwan (Tung-liang Chiang, Shou-Hsia Cheng):
- Introduction (Tung-liang Chiang)
- Major Health Care Reforms:
  - 1995 Health Care Reform (Tung-liang Chiang)
  - Second-Generation National Health Insurance Reform (Raymond N Kuo, Tung-liang Chiang and Mei-shu Lai)
- Health Care Reform Policy Research:
  - Health Service Sector Development in Taiwan (Jui-Fen Rachel Lu and Tung-liang Chiang)
  - National Health Insurance and Quality of Care (Kuo-Piao Chung and Tsung-Hsien Yu)
  - Cost Sharing (Ming-Chin Yang)
  - Global Budget Payment System Reform in Taiwan (Yue-Chune Lee)
  - Paying for Hospital Care (Yu-Chi Tung and Ying-Yi Chou)
  - Pay-for-Performance Programs in Taiwan (Shou-Hsia Cheng and Yueh-Yun Lin)
  - Pharmaceutical Price Control Under National Health Insurance in Taiwan (Yi-Wen Tsai & Ming-Neng Shiu)
  - Health Information Technology (Min-Huei Hsu)
- Performance and Future Directions:
  - Performance of Health Care System in Taiwan (Nicole Huang)
  - Overall Comments and Conclusion (Chih-Liang Yaung)

Readership: Professionals, students and general public who are interested to understand the health care systems in China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

Teh-wei Hu received his PhD in economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He is Professor Emeritus of Health Economics in University of California, Berkeley, was Associate Dean and Department Chair in the School of Public Health, and Professor in the Graduate School at UC Berkeley. He was the founding president of the North America Chinese Economics Association. Professor Hu's areas of expertise are the application of econometrics to health care services research and tobacco control. In 2010, he was a recipient of the American Public Health Association's Carl Taube Award for his contribution toward mental health services research. In 2014, he was awarded a medal by the World Health Organization in recognition for this outstanding contribution to "raising tax in tobacco". He is the author/co-author of more than 200 publications on health economics, economics of tobacco control, mental health, and health care reform. He has served as a consultant to the World Bank, the World Health Organization, US government, and those of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.