This chapter probes more deeply into the complex technical commonalities and variations among the seven SHI countries in western Europe and Israel. It details their structural characteristics regarding funding and organization, the role of the state as well as recent developments. The chapter is organized into three main sections. In the first, the eight SHI systems, as they are currently
(2002) configured, are described in relation to ten key structural dimensions. This is followed by a brief review of the role of the state in these systems. In the third section, the main trends of recent policy developments in the eight studied SHI systems are categorised and assessed.