Fee-For-Service or Donation? Hungarian perspectives on informal payment for health care

Abstract

This paper aims to make sense of the debate on informal payment within the health care system by reviewing and summarizing the main arguments of the theoretical debate in Hungary. The review examines the possible causes of informal payment, the motivation of the actors involved and the impact of informal payment on system performance, focusing on efficiency and equity. The lines of arguments are summarized in two contrasting hypotheses, which envisage informal payment as either a donation or a fee-for-service