Question

The British national healthcare system owns many hospitals and directly employs workers. General practitioner salaries are set by the British government. The funding for healthcare services comes mostly from the government. This is significantly different from the US healthcare systems. Consider the issues with government healthcare programs in financing and administration. Address the following:

Would the US be able to transit to the British style of national healthcare? Why or why not?

In comparison to the British system and US system, what would be some of the challenges the US would face in adopting a national healthcare system? Discuss at least three challenges.

Keep between 150-300 words

Answer 1

United States is primarily a capitalist society, they buy things directly in exchange for money. In US the healthcare is also a commodity which is bought by individuals with their money. There is no centralized or single provider health care system like UK. The tax based systems provide more protection to households because they are prepaid and they pool health risks across individulas.² Most of the individuals depend upon health insurances for meeting the healthcare, more specifically ‘illness care’ expenditure. The insurance can be private, from employers or even Medicare and Medicaid is used to encounter the costs of healthcare. Countries with good primary care orientation perform better with lowest expenditure than other systems.¹

Freedom of choice the main advantage of US model of healthcare system. But the outrageous rise in per-capita cost of healthcare drives it back. Some other disadvantages of US healthcare system are inaccessibility, public dissatisfaction, rising expenses.

Despite the disadvantages the there are many challenges in changing the healthcare system to centralized one.

1. Difference in values and politics: American values and political system is entirely different from British culture.

2. The employer sponsored healthcare system in enrooted in World War II:

Employers started to offer employer health insurance to retain there workers, followed by control in labor wages by Roosevelt in 1943.

3. The health care model depends upon Americans cultural belief system.

Most of the Americans consider the health care is commodity to be bought with their money. It should go hand in hand with the market principles. In the market oriented society health care is also a commodity.

4. Rise of private insurance companies: Private insurance companies has their vested in the healthcare market.

5. Self-reliance and individual responsibility: Most of the US people believe healthcare is their responsibility, so they should pay for it.

REFERENCES

1. Starfield B, Shi L. Policy relevant determinants of health: an international perspective. Health Policy 2002; 60: 201-18. [PubMed]

2. Atkinson, A. B., Sandmo, A. "Welfare Implications of the Taxation of Savings." The Economic Journal, 1980, 90 (359), 529-49