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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 by the government, regardless of medical condition.Massachusetts Nursing Association. "Single Payer Health Care: A Nurses Guide to Single Payer Reform."

Coverage under universal health care

Universal health care systems vary in what services are covered completely, covered partially, or not covered at all. Some of these services may include medically necessary services from physicians, physical therapy, occupational therapy, mammography screenings, immunization services, treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, HIV testing, optometry and opticianry services, alcohol and drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation services, mental health services, gambling addiction services, dentistry services, prescription drugs, medical supplies and appliances, podiatry services, chiropractic services, emergency medical transportation, nursing home care, and home care services.Saskatchewan Health. "Coverage".

Funding of universal health care systems

The majority of universal health care systems are funded primarily by tax revenue. Some nations, such as Germany and France, employ a multi-payer system in which health care is funded by private and public contributions.Physicians for a National Health Program"International Health Systems". Japan also employs a multi-payer system.Chua, Kao-Ping. "Single Payer 101". February 10, 2006.

"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.Physicians for a National Health Program. "What is Single Payer?". 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. Denmark, Sweden, and Canada are some of the coutries that employ single-payer financing of health care.

Countries with universal health care

Universal health coverage linked citizenship or residence

In the following countries, health coverage is truly universal. Health funding is tax-based, rather than insurance based, and all citizens or legal residents are elligible to free health care.

Cuba and the United Kingdom

Universal health coverage is linked to compulsory insurance contributions

In the following countries, the majority of citizens are covered by compulsory insurance contributions, either through their employer, or through social security, but some groups of citizens may be excluded from universal health care (eg. the self-employed, the unemployed who choose not to apply for unemployment benefit, foreign students, and the homeless)

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, , Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Israel"The Health Care System in Israel- An Historical Perspective." Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved June 7, 2006., Italy Apolone G, Lattuada L. "Health coverage in Italy." J Ambul Care Manage. 2003 Oct-Dec;26(4):378-82. PMID 14567285., Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Seychelles,Ministry of Health - SeychellesSouth Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, The Republic of China (Taiwan) are among many countries that have various types of universal health care systems. By 2007, Massachusetts, a state in the United States, will also have a kind of universal health care system for its citizens.Fahrenthold DA. "Mass. Bill Requires Health Coverage." Washington Post. Wednesday, April 5, 2006; Page A01.

Support for universal health care

Common arguments waged from supporters of universal health care systems are:
  • Health care is a right.Center for Economic and Social Rights. "The Right to Health in the United States of America: What Does it Mean?" October 29, 2004.National Health Care for the Homeless Council. "Human Rights, Homelessness and Health Care".
  • Provides coverage to all citizens regardless of ability to pay.Messerli, Joe. "Should the Government Provide Free Universal Health Care for All Americans?" BalancedPolitics.org. March 1, 2006.
  • Health care increasingly unaffordable for businesses and individuals.
  • Universal health care would provide for uninsured adults who may forgo treatment needed for chronic health conditions.http://covertheuninsured.org/media/docs/release050205a.pdf
  • Providing access to medical treatment to those who cannot afford it themselves reduces the severity of epidemics by reducing the number of disease carriers
  • Reduces wastefulness and inefficiencies in the delivery of health care.
  • A centralized national database makes diagnosis and treatment easier for doctors.
  • Medical professionals can concentrate on treating patients rather than on administrative duties.
  • Profit driven care is leads to more deathsDevereaux PJ, Choi PT, Lacchetti C, Weaver B, Schunemann HJ, Haines T, Lavis JN, Grant BJ, Haslam DR, Bhandari M, Sullivan T, Cook DJ, Walter SD, Meade M, Khan H, Bhatnagar N, Guyatt GH. A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing mortality rates of private for-profit and private not-for-profit hospitals. CMAJ. 2002 May 28;166(11):1399-406. PMID 12054406. Free Full Text. and is more expensive.Devereaux PJ, Heels-Ansdell D, Lacchetti C, Haines T, Burns KE, Cook DJ, Ravindran N, Walter SD, McDonald H, Stone SB, Patel R, Bhandari M, Schunemann HJ, Choi PT, Bayoumi AM, Lavis JN, Sullivan T, Stoddart G, Guyatt GH. Payments for care at private for-profit and private not-for-profit hospitals: a systematic review and meta-analysis. CMAJ. 2004 Jun 8;170(12):1817-24. PMID 15184339. Free Full Text.
  • Encourages patients to seek preventive care enabling problems to be detected and treated earlier.
  • The profit motive adversely affects the cost and quality of health care.http://news.pajamasmedia.com/2006/05/18/8722240_Book_tells_how_p.shtml

Opposition to universal health care

Common arguments waged from opponents of universal health care systems are:
  • Health care is not a right.Goodman, John. "Five Myths of Socialized Medicine." Cato Institute: Cato's Letter. Winter, 2005.Sade RM. "Medical care as a right: a refutation." N Engl J Med. 1971 Dec 2;285(23):1288-92. PMID 5113728. (Reprinted as "The Political Fallacy that Medical Care is a Right.")
  • Increased waiting times.
  • Poorer quality of care.
  • Unequal access and health disparities still exist in some universal health care systems.
  • Government agencies are less efficient due to bureaucracy.
  • Citizens do not curb their drug costs and doctor visits; thus increasing costs.
  • Must be funded with higher taxes and/or spending cuts in other areas.
  • Profit motives, competition, and individual ingenuity lead to greater cost control and effectiveness.
  • Uninsured citizens can sometimes still receive emergency care from alternative sources such as nonprofits and government-run hospitals.
  • Government-mandated procedures reduce doctor flexibility and lead to poor patient care.
  • Healthy people who take care of themselves have to pay for the burden of those who smoke, are obese, etc.
  • Some systems have banned physicians from selling services outside the system, forcing universal compliance with one system, which some say violates human liberties.
  • Loss of private practice options and possible reduced pay dissuades many would-be doctors from pursuing the profession.
  • Causes loss of insurance industry jobs and other business closures in the private sector.

References

See also

Examples

Related topics

External links

Supporting universal health care

Opposing universal health care

Neutral

Healthcare

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Universal health care".

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