scholarly journals Why it is time to review the role of private health insurance in Australia

2004 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonie Segal
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Private Health Insurance ◽  
Private Provider ◽  
Private Hospitals ◽  
The Public ◽  
Universal Health ◽  
Care System

The role of private health insurance (PHI) within the Australian health-care system is urgently in need ofcomprehensive review. Two decades of universal health cover under Medicare have meant a change in the function ofPHI, which is not reflected in policies to support PHI nor in the public debate around PHI. There is increasingevidence that the series of policy adjustments introduced to support PHI have served to undermine rather than promotethe efficiency and equity of Australia's health care system. While support for PHI has been justified to 'take pressure offthe public hospital system' and to 'facilitate choice of insurer and private provider', and the incentives have indeedincreased PHI membership, this increase comes at a high cost relative to benefits achieved. The redirection of hospitaladmissions from the public to private hospitals is small, with a value considerably less than 25% of the cost of thepolicies. The Commonwealth share of the health care budget has increased and the relative contribution from privatehealth insurance is lower in 2001-02, despite an increase in PHI membership to nearly 45% of the population,compared with the 30% coverage in 1998. The policies have largely directed subsidies to those on higher incomes whoare more likely to take out PHI, and to private insurance companies, private hospitals and medical specialists. Ad hocpolicy adjustments need to be replaced by a coherent policy towards PHI, one that recognises the fundamental changein its role and significance in the context of universal health coverage.

The role of health insurance in regulating the Swiss health care system

2006 ◽  
Vol 1 (6) ◽  
pp. 227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iva Bolgiani ◽  
Luca Crivelli ◽  
Gianfranco Domenighetti
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Swiss Health ◽  
Care System

A European late starter: lessons from the history of reform in Irish health care

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (03) ◽  
pp. 355-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maev-Ann Wren ◽  
Sheelah Connolly
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Hospital Care ◽  
Political Support ◽  
Universal Health Care ◽  
Universal Health Care System ◽  
Universal Health ◽  
Late Starter ◽  
Care System

AbstractThe Irish health care system is unusual within Europe in not providing universal, equitable access to either primary or acute hospital care. The majority of the population pays out-of-pocket fees to access primary health care. Due to long waits for public hospital care, many purchase private health insurance, which facilitates faster access to public and private hospital services. The system has been the subject of much criticism and repeated reform attempts. Proposals in 2011 to develop a universal health care system, funded by Universal Health Insurance, were abandoned in 2015 largely due to cost concerns. Despite this experience, there remains strong political support for developing a universal health care system. By applying an historical institutionalist approach, the paper develops an understanding of why Ireland has been a European outlier. The aim of the paper is to identify and discuss issues that may arise in introducing a universal healthcare system to Ireland informed by an understanding of previous unsuccessful reform proposals. Challenges in system design faced by a late-starter country like Ireland, including overcoming stakeholder resistance, achieving clarity in the definition of universality and avoiding barriers to access, may be shared by countries whose universal systems have been compromised in the period of austerity.

scholarly journals Are persons with a limited health literacy less satisfied with the German health care system?

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
K Achstetter ◽  
J Köppen ◽  
M Blümel ◽  
R Busse
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Medical Errors ◽  
Private Health Insurance ◽  
Perceived Discrimination ◽  
German Health Care System ◽  
German Health ◽  
Care System

Abstract Background Health literacy (HL) is the ability to find, understand, appraise and apply health information with the aim of using this information to make decisions affecting the own health. Previous studies showed limited HL in around 50% of the German population. The assessment of the German health care system from the perspective of persons with limited HL is subject of this study. Methods In 2018, a survey was conducted among 20,000 persons with private health insurance in Germany. Survey items were based on the intermediate and final goals of the WHO Health Systems Framework. Questions comprised, for example, satisfaction with the health care system, responsiveness (e.g. perceived discrimination), access (e.g. off-hour care), and safety (e.g. medical errors). HL was assessed with the HLS-EU-Q16 questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test were used to analyze the data and group differences. Results Overall, 3,601 participants (18.0%) completed the survey (58.6 years ± 14.6; 64.6% male). Limited HL was seen with 44.6% (8.5% inadequate & 36.1% problematic), whereas 55.4% did not report limited HL (43.4% sufficient & 12.0% excellent). Very satisfied with the German health care system were 6.5% of the persons with limited HL (vs. 14.3%). Perceived discrimination within the last 12 months was reported by 11.0% of the persons with limited HL (vs. 5.1%). To get medical care on weekends, holidays or evenings outside hospitals was rated as “very hard” by 34.6% of the persons with limited HL (vs. 23.6%). The feeling that they experienced medical errors was reported by 18.7% with limited HL (vs. 11.5%) and 5.9% were unsure (vs. 2.2%). All results were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Conclusions Persons with limited HL were less satisfied with the overall German health care system in comparison to persons with not limited HL and reported more often perceived discrimination. Strengthening HL could help to improve satisfaction with the health care system. Key messages Limited HL among persons with private health insurance in Germany was found in 44.6% of the survey’s participants. Persons with limited HL indicated to be less satisfied with the German health care system and perceived more often discrimination in their health care.

Symbols, Rationality, and Justice: Rationing Health Care

1992 ◽  
Vol 18 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Callahan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Universal Health Care ◽  
Universal Health Insurance ◽  
Ration Health Care ◽  
Universal Health ◽  
Care System

Proposals to ration health care in the United States meet a number of objections, symbolic and literal. Nonetheless, an acceptance of the idea of rationing is a necessary first step toward universal health insurance. It must be understood that universal health care requires an acceptance of rationing, and that such an acceptance must precede enactment of a program, if it is to be economically sound and politically feasible. Commentators have argued that reform of the health care system should come before any effort to ration. On the contrary, rationing and reform cannot be separated. The former is the key to the latter, just as rationing is the key to universal health insurance.

scholarly journals Health care system of the Republic of Serbia in the period 2004-2012

2014 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milena Gajic-Stevanovic ◽  
Jovana Aleksic ◽  
Neda Stojanovic ◽  
Slavoljub Zivkovic
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Health System ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Insurance Fund ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Right ◽  
Care System

Introduction. The backbone of Serbian health system forms the public healthcare provider network with 355 institutions and around 112,000 employees, owned and controlled by the Ministry of Health and financed mainly by the Republican Health Insurance Fund. The law recognizes private practice that was not included, till recently, in the public funding scheme. New Health Insurance Law (2005) decreased the number of entitlements in the basic health service package. It abolished the right to dental health care for adults (exceptions are: children, older than 65, pregnant women and emergency cases) as well as the right to compensate travel expenses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of health care system of the Republic of Serbia and indicate parameters that determine the state of health of the population, on the ground of data obtained by the Institute of Public Health of Serbia. Results. In the period 2004-2012, cardiovascular diseases represented the main cause of illness in Serbia (50%). In 2012 digestive system diseases were on the second place. Neoplasm and nervous system diseases were on the third place. From 2007 to 2012 there was slight decline in the birth rate and number of deaths, but the death rate increased from 13.9 to 14.2. Health care system in Serbia is funded through the combination of public finances and private contributions. Primary care is provided in 158 health care centres and health care stations, secondary and tertiary care services are offered in general hospitals, specialized hospitals, clinics, clinico-hospital centers and clinical centres. Conclusion. A significant but not satisfactory progress has been achieved in the field of health status indicators as the most important outcome of the final performance of the health system. The transition of public health care system in Serbia since the communist period to present and slow integration with European Union is unfinished process.

scholarly journals THE DRIVERS OF VOLUNTARY PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCE DEMAND IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 457-474
Author(s):  
Marijana Ćurak ◽  
◽  
Dujam Kovač ◽  
Klime Poposki
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Risk Aversion ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Private Health Insurance ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
System Quality ◽  
Economic Level ◽  
Care System

During the pandemic, health care services have gained in importance. One of the ways used to finance these services is through voluntary private health insurance. Existing studies on the demand for voluntary private health insurance are based predominantly on the micro-economic level. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to analyse the factors of demand at the macro-economic level. The analysis covers economic and demographic factors, the quality of the public health care system, risk aversion and the status of the population’s health. The empirical research is based on the databases of 29 European countries in the period from 2013 to 2017 and on the dynamic panel model. The results of the empirical analysis revealed that income, price, urbanization, health care system quality, risk aversion/education and self-perceived health are important determinants of demand for voluntary private health insurance in European countries.

scholarly journals The development of voluntary private health insurance in the Nordic countries

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Alexandersen ◽  
Anders Anell ◽  
Oddvar Kaarboe ◽  
Juhani S Lehto ◽  
Liina-Kaisa Tynkkynen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Private Health Insurance ◽  
Nordic Countries ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
Public Health Care System ◽  
The Public ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Care System

The Nordic countries represent an institutional setting with tax-based health care financing and universal access to health care services. Very few health care services are excluded from what are offered within the publically financed health care system. User fees are often non-existing or low and capped. Nevertheless, the markets for voluntary private health insurance (VPHI) have been rapidly expanding. In this paper we describe the development of the market for VPHI in the Nordic countries. We outline similarities and differences and provide discussion of the rationale for the existence of different types of VPHI. Data is collected on the population covered by VPHI, type and scope of coverage, suppliers of VPHI and their relations with health providers. It seems that the main roles of VPHI are to cover out-of-pocket payments for services that are only partly financed by the public health care system (complementary), and to provide preferential access to treatments that are also available free of charge within the public health care system, but often with some waiting time (duplicate).Published: April 2016.

Does voluntary health insurance reduce the use of and the willingness to finance public health care in Sweden?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Linn Kullberg ◽  
Paula Blomqvist ◽  
Ulrika Winblad
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Insurance ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
The Public ◽  
Voluntary Health Insurance ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
Care System

Abstract Voluntary private health insurance (VHI) has generally been of limited importance in national health service-type health care systems, especially in the Nordic countries. During the last decades however, an increase in VHI uptake has taken place in the region. Critics of this development argue that voluntary health insurance can undermine support for public health care, while proponents contend that increased private funding for health services could relieve strained public health care systems. Using data from Sweden, this study investigates empirically how voluntary health insurance affects the public health care system. The results of the study indicate that the public Swedish health care system is fairly resilient to the impact of voluntary health insurance with regards to support for the tax-based funding. No difference between insurance holders and non-holders was found in willingness to finance public health care through taxes. A slight unburdening effect on public health care use was observed as VHI holders appeared to use public health care to a lesser extent than those without an insurance. However, a majority of the insurance holders continued to use the public health care system, indicating only a modest substitution effect.

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