Justice in the healthcare system: payment and reimbursement policies in Iran

Justice is one of the main principles of ethics in the healthcare system، and its establishment at macro level depends on formulation of appropriate policies by policy-makers and healthcare providers. Health care policies and payment and reimbursement systems have a significant impact on health systems’ efficiency and cost control. In this paper، payment and reimbursement policies and their impact on financial incentives will be reviewed; moreover، financial policies in the national health care in Iran and related challenges will be mentioned in brief. There is no doubt that none of the payment and reimbursement policies is perfect and each of them has the potential to put caregivers or health care providers financially at risk. Therefore، policy-makers should select a combination of the best approaches، considering socioeconomic factors، in order to provide a maximum coverage of health services and ensure fairness in the health system. Efficient payment and reimbursement approaches should undoubtedly preserve the rights of all parties in a fair and logical manner. Current national policy shows that a high percent of health care expenditures are financed through out-of-pocket payments، and therefore appropriate policies should be adopted to lighten this burden. Considering the accelerated trend toward the Family Doctor Plan in big cities in Iran، the present paper would be helpful for many health care providers، physicians and other health care professionals.