BRIEF COMPARISON – UK HEALTHCARE SYSTEM VS. U.S. HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
The healthcare system of the United States and United Kingdom closely represent the extremes, the former has the largest private sector system, while the latter has one of the largest public sector system (Bolnick, 2002). The United States spends more on health care than any other nation while England is in the bottom among industrial countries. England has made major investments in its health care system, raising the total expenditure to 8.4% of the GDP in 2007, as compared with 16% in the United States (Kerr & Scott, 2009).
Healthcare in the U.S. is delivered almost exclusively by private sector providers. Hospitals are either owned by profit companies and by non-profit and charitable organizations. About 84 percent of the population has access to health care through the combination of private health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid programs. The remaining 16 percent of the population (mostly working poor and their families) must depend on their own financial resources or charity care to pay for needed medical care (Bolnick, 2002).
While both systems have world class health outcomes, the U.K. health care system has far less variation in health outcomes across its population than does the U.S. In terms of financial fairness, the UK is also ranked higher than the U.S. This outcome is a direct result of the UK national tax based system versus the private risk-based financing in the U.S. system. In addition, the U.K. system is very low cost when compared both to other developed nations’ systems and to the extremely high cost U.S. system (WHO, 2000).
There is one large negative to the UK system – it received relatively low marks for its responsiveness. The U.S. health care system ranks number one on responsiveness in the same WHO survey. While the financially unconstrained U.S. system is quite responsive to its citizens “needs” and “wants”, the financially constrained U.K. system is much less responsive. In the UK system, tight control of funding and health resources have resulted in the intangible “wants” being constrained resulting in waiting lists for non-essential medical care and low marks from WHO for responsiveness (Bolnick, 2002).
Cesar Aquino, PhD, MBA, CT(ASCP)
I guess I really don’t care about non-essential medical care. If it’s non-essential, then why do I need it? To “look better”? Sounds like the U.S. has terrific medical care if you can afford it. If not, then go suck it.
No, the hospitals are forced to help you if you are in critical condition even if you can’t afford it, and most are willing to work out payment plans with you over long stretches of time, even years. The reason it is so bad and leaves people in so much debt is failed government interventionist policies. They went limped dicked into the healthcare system and left everyone unsatisfied. Before they tried to intervene prices were fine, still on the expensive side, but fine.
And those payment plans include destroying your credit and guarantee a lifetime of medical debt that there is no escape from unless you are wealthy enough to pay an extra mortgage. I’t very easy to get stuck with $100,000 bill if you have to stay more than a day or receive critical care. It’s debt that the average American will never be able to pay off and it only happens in the US with this predatory health care system.
What’s the point of having a “great American healthcare system” if British people live longer and have less infant deaths?
The USA doesn’t have a bad medical system it has a bad nutrition system. We eat crap that causes diabetes, hypertension and ischemia then complain about healthcare. Healthcare starts with you not your doctor.
Yes, that’s the main problem. Adjusting people’s attitudes towards health and lifestyle makes a big difference. The problem is that certain groups on the left and the right view it as an attack on people’s rights.
No, it is an attack on people’s rights when you FORCE them to eat a certain way or exercise so often. The government should also not be spending money on awareness programs when we have an insane debt and a broken central bank system to worry about. If you care about making people healthy start with your local area and your self. Explain to your friends and family how to be healthy, but make sure you are informed before you do so. Donate to non-profits that want to spread health awareness.
1. It’s the government’s job to look after its citizens. 2. In the UK, no one his forced to go on a diet or exercise. All the doctor and local authorities can do is encourage people to change. 3. People’s health affect government finances and the economy. For example, companies or the government pays sick pay. 4. The run health campaigns for a reason. AIDS is a good example. When it became apparent AIDS spreading, the government spent money warning of the dangers. Equally, they