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|'''Universal health care''' is a [[health care system]] in which all residents of a geographic or political entity have their [[health care]] paid for, regardless of medical condition or financial status.<ref>Massachusetts Nursing Association. [http://www.massnurses.org/single_payer/singlepay.htm "Single Payer Health Care: A Nurses Guide to Single Payer Reform."]</ref> This type of [[socialized medicine]] is practiced in many countries, especially first world nations such as [[Canada]], and the [[United Kingdom]]. Universal health care systems involve both schemes to secure funding and the methods of actually providing for care.
|'''Universal health care''' is a [[health care system]] in which all residents of a geographic or political entity have their [[health care]] paid for, regardless of medical condition or financial status.<ref>Massachusetts Nursing Association. [http://www.massnurses.org/single_payer/singlepay.htm "Single Payer Health Care: A Nurses Guide to Single Payer Reform."]</ref> This type of [[socialized medicine]] is practiced in many countries, especially first world nations such as [[Canada]], the [[United Kingdom]], and [[France]] and [[Italy]] ranked in the top three in the world<ref>[http://www.internationalliving.com/italy/healthcare.html Health Care in Italy]</ref>. Universal health care systems involve both schemes to secure funding and the methods of actually providing for care.




Revision as of 00:06, 24 January 2007

|Universal health care is a health care system in which all residents of a geographic or political entity have their health care paid for, regardless of medical condition or financial status.[1] This type of socialized medicine is practiced in many countries, especially first world nations such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and France and Italy ranked in the top three in the world[2]. Universal health care systems involve both schemes to secure funding and the methods of actually providing for care.


Types of universal health care

Universal health care is a very general concept and, as such, there are many ways of implementing it. These systems tend to vary primarily on how socialistic or capitalistic they are. For example, a system where everyone chooses and pays for their own health care is more capitalism. On the other hand, a system where the government rations health care and pays for it through taxation is more socialism.

The Health Care System in Canada is a universal system, (some items are not covered) while often called a socialized-public system it is in fact merely publically funded. Most all services are provided by private enterprises, and doctors are not on a government salary as in Italy[3], , but operate like hardware stores, as capitalistic entities.[4]


Single-payer health care

Main article: single-payer health care

Single-payer health care is a system whereby one party, usually the government, pays for the health care of everyone. In practice this means that the government collects taxes from the public, businesses, etc., creates an entity to administer the supply of health care and then pays health care professionals – in effect this would replace the myriad of health care companies with just one government provider.


Hybrid health care

Universal health care can be implemented without having the government pay for it in full, as in single-payer health care. Hybrid health care models emerged from efforts to reconcile the drive for expanded access and the drive against rising health care prices. This model is geared towards getting past the dichotomies that have stymied universal health care efforts, such as whether the state or federal governments should take the lead, whether the primary jurisdiction for negotiating health care should be at the market or government level and whether health care is more of an individual or societal responsibility.


Private universal health care

After governments mandate universal health care, they often try to supply that health care. One alternative is to deregulate the industry, and allow the principles of capitalism to keep costs down and encourage innovation.

In short, universal health care can be implemented without wealth redistribution. For example, if the government mandates universal health care, instead of trying to control and ration health care, they could simply enact a law whereby each person must have health insurance. People would pay for their own health insurance or find other ways of obtaining coverage, such as through employment.


Funding of universal health care systems

Most European systems are financed through a mix of public and private contributions.[5] The majority of universal health care systems are funded primarily by tax revenue (e.g. Portugal[5]). Some nations, such as Germany, France[6] and Japan[7] employ a multi-payer system in which health care is funded by private and public contributions.

"Single-payer" describes a type of financing system in which a single entity, typically a government-run organization, acts as the administrator (or "payer") to collect all health care fees, and pay out all health care costs.[8] Some advocates of universal health care assert that single-payer systems save money that could be used directly towards health care by reducing administrative waste.[8] For instance, according to the Drum Major Institute, a public policy, non-profit organization founded by Harry Wachtel, lawyer and advisor to Martin Luther King Jr., the estimated amount the U.S. would save each year on paperwork if it adopted single-payer health care is $161,000,000,000. Denmark, Sweden, and Canada are some of the countries that currently employ single-payer financing of health care.[7]

A distinction is also made between municipal and national healthcare funding. For example, one model is that the bulk of the healthcare is funded by the municipality, speciality healthcare is provided and possibly funded by a larger entity, such as a municipal co-operation board or the state, and the medications are paid by a state agency.

Countries with universal health care

Argentina,[9] Australia,[6][9] Austria,[6] Belgium,ref name="Physicians 1"/> Brazil,[6] Canada,[6] Cuba,[6] Denmark,[6] Finland,[6] France,[6][9] Germany,[6] Greece,<refname="G20"/>[10] Ireland,[11] Israel,[12] Italy,[9][13] Japan,[6] The Netherlands,[6] New Zealand,[6] Norway,[6], Poland, Portugal,[5] Russia,[9] Saudi Arabia,[9] Seychelles,[14] South Korea[9] Spain,[6] Sri Lanka,[15] Sweden,[6] The Republic of China (Taiwan),[6] and the United Kingdom[6][9] are among many countries that have various types of universal health care systems.

Mexico,[9] South Africa,[6][9] and Thailand[16] are among those nations attempting to implement universal health care systems.

In the United States, certain publicly funded health care programs help to provide for the elderly, disabled, military service families and veterans, and the poor[17] and federal law ensures public access to emergency services regardless of ability to pay;[18] however, a system of universal health care has not been implemented. Massachusetts is attempting to implement a near-universal health care system by mandating that residents purchase health insurance by July 1, 2007.[19] California, Maine, and Vermont also are attempting universal systems.[20]

If a government has a public health care system, it is usually illegal for private institutions to provide healthcare insurance by offering lower prices. That is, it is an enforced government monopoly.[citation needed] Until recently, private health insurance was illegal in all of Canada.[citation needed] All insurance was supplied by the government. Recently, the Supreme Court of Quebec ruled, in Chaoulli v. Quebec that private business must be allowed to offer health insurance and compete with the public program.[1]

Universal health care politics

Main article: Health care politics

There are many common arguments for and against universal health care. Those in favor of universal health care often point out that it would provide health care to the people who currently do not have it. Opponents of universal health care often argue that universal healthcare may require higher taxes. These opponents also claim that the absence of a market mechanism may slow innovation in treatment and research, and leads to rationing of care through waiting lists.[citation needed] Both sides of the political spectrum have also looked to more philosophical arguments, debating whether or not people have a fundamental right to have health care provided to them by their government.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ Massachusetts Nursing Association. "Single Payer Health Care: A Nurses Guide to Single Payer Reform."
  2. ^ Health Care in Italy
  3. ^ Health service/health insurance in Italy
  4. ^ CBC Health Care Private verses Public
  5. ^ a b c Bentes M, Dias CM, Sakellarides C, Bankauskaite V. Health Care Systems in Transition: Portuagal. WHO Regional Offices for Europe on behalf of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, 2004.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Physicians for a National Health Program"International Health Systems".
  7. ^ a b Chua, Kao-Ping. "Single Payer 101". February 10, 2006.
  8. ^ a b Physicians for a National Health Program. "What is Single Payer?".
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Health Care Systems and Health Market Reform in the G20 Countries." Prepared for the World Economic Forum by Ernst & Young. January 3, 2006.
  10. ^ http://www.photius.com/countries/greece/society/greece_society_health_care.html Greece Health Care
  11. ^ Health care in Ireland
  12. ^ "The Health Care System in Israel- An Historical Perspective." Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved June 7, 2006.
  13. ^ Apolone G, Lattuada L. "Health coverage in Italy." J Ambul Care Manage. 2003 Oct-Dec;26(4):378-82. PMID 14567285.
  14. ^ Ministry of Health - Seychelles
  15. ^ Health Care System: Sri Lanka
  16. ^ "The Universal Coverage Policy of Thailand: An Introduction."
  17. ^ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. CMS Programs & Information. Retrieved August 30, 2006.
  18. ^ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act. Retrieved August 30, 2006.
  19. ^ Fahrenthold DA. "Mass. Bill Requires Health Coverage." Washington Post; Wednesday, April 5, 2006; Page A01.
  20. ^ New York Times; January 9, 2007; California’s Governor Seeks Universal Care

See also

Examples

Supporting universal health care

Opposing universal health care

Neutral

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