EU Law and the Social Character of Health Care

European law is an increasingly important factor in the development and implementation of national and local health policy. Yet for many it remains shrouded in mystery. The situation with regard to laws impacting on health care is especially problematic as, typically, consequences arise from policies designed primarily to address problems in other sectors, which then establish general principles whose applicability to health care only becomes apparent once interpreted by rulings of the European Court of Justice. This book, written with the health and social policy community in mind, provides a comprehensive assessment of the main implications of EU law in certain key areas of health care.