Abstract
In Turkey, as well as all over the world, one of the most significant challenges faced by the health sector players such as governments, private enterprises and institutions is to make health expenses sustainable while ensuring the sustainability of healthcare services. Increasing obesity rates, aging of the population and increases in chronic diseases require urgent solutions. Although the causes and solutions of these health problems are shaped in line with enviromental conditions and public policies, individuals’ preferences and behaviors are among the primary determinants of their health status. Tobacco use, poor diet, physical inactivity and inadequate health protective behaviors often cause illness and death. For this reason, it is of great importance to change the health-related behavior of individuals. This is difficult, however, as health-related behaviors are very complex in that they are influenced by many factors. On the other hand, behavioral economics, which draws attention with the insights it has drawed on especially from psychology in recent years, offers a new approach to why people cannot make the best choice for themselves and cannot oppose their impulses at the expense of losing their health in the long term. In addition, it addresses the behavioral barriers in the healthcare comprehensively, taking into account the behavior of healthcare providers with a similar approach. Concordantly, the study, considering relevant insights, offers suggestions on how to use behavioral economics’s tools in designing more effective but low-cost health policies and programs in Turkey.