International Health Care Policies
International Health Care Policies
Of the countries that were made available, the three countries health care policies I found most interesting were United Kingdom, Japan and Taiwan. These three countries all had a very different take on how to provide healthcare to the public but they also all managed to do so with a low government GDP.
The United Kingdom is a capitalist democracy with a health care system that tries to support it’s views of an economic, political and social economy. There system is referred to as the National Health Service (NHS), it is government funded and the main source of income is through taxation. The Brits call this process “socialized medicine,” where the government is in charge of providing and funding for their health care program. Once the high taxes are collected the government then goes and distributes them throughout the (NHS) to health care providers. Doctors have set salaries determined by the government, but before you can get to your doctor you have to see a General Practitioner (GP) or also known as the gatekeeper. These people run their own private practices and their pay is based upon how many patients they have and the health of their patients. This system may sound all tied together but some of the negatives that go along with the (NHS) are long waiting lists, and a limited choice on your health care provider. Some of the changes that the UK has managed to change over the years is how “Hospitals now compete for NHS funds distributed by local Primary Care Trusts, and starting in April 2008 patients are able to choose where they want to be treated for many procedures.” This has allowed for the market based economy to open up more, leaving patients with a wider choice for health services.
Japan’s health care system differs from the UK in several ways, there GDP averages about 8% which is even less than the UK. Everyone in Japan has to sign up for Health Care Insurance or as they call it (Social Insurance). A
Of the countries that were made available, the three countries health care policies I found most interesting were United Kingdom, Japan and Taiwan. These three countries all had a very different take on how to provide healthcare to the public but they also all managed to do so with a low government GDP.
The United Kingdom is a capitalist democracy with a health care system that tries to support it’s views of an economic, political and social economy. There system is referred to as the National Health Service (NHS), it is government funded and the main source of income is through taxation. The Brits call this process “socialized medicine,” where the government is in charge of providing and funding for their health care program. Once the high taxes are collected the government then goes and distributes them throughout the (NHS) to health care providers. Doctors have set salaries determined by the government, but before you can get to your doctor you have to see a General Practitioner (GP) or also known as the gatekeeper. These people run their own private practices and their pay is based upon how many patients they have and the health of their patients. This system may sound all tied together but some of the negatives that go along with the (NHS) are long waiting lists, and a limited choice on your health care provider. Some of the changes that the UK has managed to change over the years is how “Hospitals now compete for NHS funds distributed by local Primary Care Trusts, and starting in April 2008 patients are able to choose where they want to be treated for many procedures.” This has allowed for the market based economy to open up more, leaving patients with a wider choice for health services.
Japan’s health care system differs from the UK in several ways, there GDP averages about 8% which is even less than the UK. Everyone in Japan has to sign up for Health Care Insurance or as they call it (Social Insurance). A
Cited: * FRONTLINE. “Five Capitalist Democracies.” www.pbs.org. 15 April. 2008. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/countries/ * “Sick around the World.” Frontline News. PBS. 15 April. 2008. Televison *Discussions from Class with Dr. Arwin