Arrow, KennethJ.1963."Uncertainty and the Welfare Economicsof Medical
Care."AmericanEconomicReview, 53(5): 941-73.
This
paperprovideda framework forthinking abouttheeconomicsofthemarket
formedicalcareusingthelanguageandtoolsofmodernmicroeconomics. Itargued
thattheaforementioned marketis besetbymarketfailuresbecauseconsumers are
exposedtorisksthatarenotfullyinsurable(inlargepartduetoproblems ofmoral
hazard),andbecausetheylacktheinformation andexpertiserequiredto assess
risksandtreatments. Ithypothesized thatvarioussalientfeatures oftheinstitutions
governing theprovisionofmedicalcarearebestunderstood as socialadaptations
aimedatredressing theresulting inefficiencies. Italsonotedthatinsomecasesthose
institutional adaptations undermine competition andperversely contribute toinefficiency. Thoughwritten wellpriortotheemergence oftheformal literature onasymmetric information, thepaperanticipated manyofthecentral issuesthatcontinue to
occupyhealtheconomists today