The cost disease : why computers get cheaper and health care doesn't / William J. Baumol ; with contributions by David de Ferranti ... [and others].

Includes bibliographical references (pages 207-235) and index.

Part I: The survivable cost disease. Why health-care costs keep rising ; What causes the cost disease, and will it persist? ; The future has arrived ; Yes, we can afford it ; Dark sides of the disease : terrorism and environmental destruction ; Common misunderstandings of the cost disease : cost versus quality and financial versus "physical" output measures ; The cost disease and global health -- Part 2: Technical aspects of the cost disease. Hybrid industries and the cost disease ; Productivity growth, employment allocation, and the special case of business services -- Part 3: Opportunities for cutting health-care costs. Business services in health care ; Yes, we can cut health-care costs even if we cannot reduce their growth rate -- Conclusions : Where are we headed and what should we do?