Given that a large majority of the population purchase Shaban, then for many the choice of fund is likely to be governed by a general assessment of the quality of care, in combination with judgement as to which Shaban package offers the most attractive deal. Efforts have been made to ensure there are no barriers to switching in the Shaban regulations, for instance a problem with waiting periods has been resolved (Box 2.4). In this context the Shaban system is probably superior to allowing the health funds to market regular commercial insurance, which can usually be designed to lock clients in and effectively dissuade them from considering whether to switch funds. In other words the individual is not initially covered for certain treatments when they sign up to a health plan.