As a discipline, health economics was formed and developed in 1950s and 1960s. Its historical background is: ① the rapid growth of health expenditure in economically developed countries. After the Second World War, due to the rapid improvement of medical research and technology, the modernization of diagnosis and treatment means and health facilities and equipment, the aging of the population, the sharp increase of chronic diseases and the increasing demand for medical care, the medical and health expenses have increased greatly. For example, in the 1950 s, the expenditure on medical care in many European countries accounted for about 4% of GDP; By the end of 1970s, this proportion had risen to 8%. Judging from the growth rate, the proportion of health care expenditure to GDP in many countries increased by 1% in the 1950s. In 1960s, it increased by1.5%; It increased by 2% in the 1970s. High medical and health expenses are a heavy economic burden to the government, business owners, individual workers and families. Objectively, it is required to analyze the reasons for the rapid growth of health expenditure and seek ways to curb the growth of health expenditure. ② Socialization of health undertakings. After the Second World War, the scale of health services has become larger and larger, the technology and equipment have become more and more advanced, and the level of division of labor and specialization has become higher and higher. Medical and health undertakings have developed into a "health industry" department that occupies a lot of capital and labor, and occupies an important position in social and economic life. Therefore, studying the economic problems of the health sector has become an important topic in economic research. 1952, The Chronicle of the World Health Organization published an American paper "The Economic Aspects of Health", which is considered as the first work of health economics. 1958, S.J. Mahchin published a paper entitled "Definition of Health Economics" in the Public Health Report published in Washington State, DC, and clearly put forward that the definition of health economics is "the science of studying the optimal use of health investment". Since the 1960s, the research of health economics has been further developed in European and American countries. 1968, the World Health Organization held the first international symposium on health economics in Moscow, and published the anthology of Health and Disease Economics. Since then, health economics has entered a more extensive development period.
Medical economic problems have long been concerned by people. In the 3rd century BC, Aristotle, an ancient Greek thinker, talked about the relationship between farmers and doctors in production and exchange. /kloc-in the 0/7th century, the British classical economist W. Petty pointed out in his book "To the Wise" (169 1) that the medical and health care expenses spent on workers will bring economic benefits. 1940, H.E. siegrist published "Introduction to Medical Economics", arguing that medical economics should clarify various socio-economic conditions that hinder the application of modern medicine, analyze the huge losses caused by poverty and diseases to the national economy, and solve the contradiction between medical prices and patients' economic affordability.