This book explores the experiences with health reforms in selected countries of Central and Eastern Europe - all were once members of the former Soviet Union or its orbit. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and dissolution of the USSR in 1991, nations in the region engaged in extensive social and economic reforms that included major changes in their health care systems. Most reforms were examples of 'panic policies' that sought to expunge the communist legacy and, given external pressure from international donors, to move toward a market-based system without testing of what such a model entails. The book examines the institutional legacies of the respective national health care systems and their health reform efforts during the past two decades. In the policy-making arena, the contributions describe the prevalent ideas, basic institutions, and vested interests of their particular country, as well as the role of external advisors during the attempts to implement formal reforms. The book reveals that 'policy' includes not only formal statements of intentions, but also efforts at implementation and the more-or-less permanent process of 'after reform' maintenance. It will be of interest to policy-makers and practitioners in the field of health administration, public management, and political science. Read Less