Incentives for prevention: Health England report no. 3

In this paper, we review some of what is known about economic incentive schemes and also consider the potential role of agencies involved in policy that directly or indirectly affect health in these areas. We apply five criteria to help identify the relative strengths and weaknesses of different schemes: their effectiveness, their cost relative to effectiveness, their impact on equity, their feasibility and their impact on individual and local autonomy. We consider schemes targeted at NHS commissioners, other government agencies, providers, employers and individuals.