Universal health care systems provide medical services to all citizens of a nation. Some countries that have this system include the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany. The government funds such programs, with different countries having variations in structure and costs of such systems. There are various pros and cons of universal health care.
The fact that the system has no restrictions as to who benefits is perhaps one of the main advantages. There is no consideration of economic or social classes in service delivery, with everyone being given equal treatment. Among the few industrialized nations that do not have this kind of system is the United States of America.
The system is associated with increased efficiency that is not found in other systems. With the previous or ordinary programs, there is a lot of paperwork involved, forcing patients to do a lot of filling which leads to increased probability of errors. The universal system automates and standardizes medical records, which means such records can be accessed by all entities, insurers for instance, with ease.
In addition, the fully electronic system ascertains accuracy with which patients are served. As a result, doctors are able to make sober decisions as concerns their patients. The information they need is not just safely stored but is not also easily tampered with.
Perhaps one of the other major advantages is the affordability. With the ever rising cost of health-care premiums, insurance has become unaffordable to many individuals. Most businesses with health-care plans pass down much of the costs to employees. The result is most people opting not to pay for the coverage at all. Given that the universal system is normally managed by government agencies, costs of administration go down, which results in more affordability.
Well, all these benefits do not come without a few hitches. Since everyone is entitled to receive medical care, the number of patients remains very high. The increment of physicians is not proportional to this increase in patients, making it a big burden on the few physicians. The quality of services offered greatly declines. This may be coupled with long waits by patients to be attended to.
The money to be used for funding the system offers yet another challenge. It is expensive to run and the government normally has to increase taxes levied on its citizens. For people with low incomes, this becomes a heavy burden. The governments that implement it may also look for various ways of getting funds. However, there is likely to be interference of priorities and implementation of other projects.
In considering the pros and cons of universal health care, it is important to note that some countries do not implement it because it brings about lack of competition. Other systems have room for people to choose companies that serve their interests in the best way possible. With lack of competition, there is high probability of provision of substandard services.
The fact that the system has no restrictions as to who benefits is perhaps one of the main advantages. There is no consideration of economic or social classes in service delivery, with everyone being given equal treatment. Among the few industrialized nations that do not have this kind of system is the United States of America.
The system is associated with increased efficiency that is not found in other systems. With the previous or ordinary programs, there is a lot of paperwork involved, forcing patients to do a lot of filling which leads to increased probability of errors. The universal system automates and standardizes medical records, which means such records can be accessed by all entities, insurers for instance, with ease.
In addition, the fully electronic system ascertains accuracy with which patients are served. As a result, doctors are able to make sober decisions as concerns their patients. The information they need is not just safely stored but is not also easily tampered with.
Perhaps one of the other major advantages is the affordability. With the ever rising cost of health-care premiums, insurance has become unaffordable to many individuals. Most businesses with health-care plans pass down much of the costs to employees. The result is most people opting not to pay for the coverage at all. Given that the universal system is normally managed by government agencies, costs of administration go down, which results in more affordability.
Well, all these benefits do not come without a few hitches. Since everyone is entitled to receive medical care, the number of patients remains very high. The increment of physicians is not proportional to this increase in patients, making it a big burden on the few physicians. The quality of services offered greatly declines. This may be coupled with long waits by patients to be attended to.
The money to be used for funding the system offers yet another challenge. It is expensive to run and the government normally has to increase taxes levied on its citizens. For people with low incomes, this becomes a heavy burden. The governments that implement it may also look for various ways of getting funds. However, there is likely to be interference of priorities and implementation of other projects.
In considering the pros and cons of universal health care, it is important to note that some countries do not implement it because it brings about lack of competition. Other systems have room for people to choose companies that serve their interests in the best way possible. With lack of competition, there is high probability of provision of substandard services.
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