Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
The New York Times recently discussed the Rwandan model of healthcare. According to the article, “Rwanda has had national health insurance for 11 years now; 92 percent of the nation is covered, and the premiums are $2 a year.” By comparison, in the U.S. only 85% of people have health insurance and premiums costs thousands…
Here is my previous review of the French healthcare system. Below is the some additional information on medical care in France based on the book by William Roth. Physicians: Physicians generally work out of their own practices rather than in health centers. Physicians choose whether to work in the private sector or public sector. They…
Here is my previous review of the Canadian system. Below, I will include additional information on healthcare in Canada based on the book by William Roth. Insurance Government-funded insurance covers the majority of Canadians. Private insurance was recently made legal in Canada, but private insurance is still held by a very small proportion of the…
In the past, I have reviewed the healthcare systems of a variety of countries in my Health Care Around the World series. This week, I will revisit the healthcare systems of a number of these countries using a new source. The source is Comprehensive Healthcare for the U.S.: An Idealized Model by William F. Roth.…
Pay-for-performance is a hot topic in the health policy world. However, one of the largest pay-for-performance programs has already been implemented in the UK’s National Health Service. A paper by Doran et al. (2006) reviews the overall implementation of the NHS’s P4P program as well as how some physicians used exceptions to greatly increase their…
One of the most contentious parts of the healthcare debate in the U.S. is whether or not to move towards a more European style of health care. Those in favor cite the equality of the system, the lower cost, and lower administrative cost. Those against rail against the lack of provider choice and the long…
Indonesia. Indonesia has the fourth largest population in the world and is the country with the largest Muslim population in the world. The island of Bali–where I went for my honeymoon–is the most famous island for tourists. Unlike most islands, it is largely Hindu. Java, where the capital of Jakarta is located, is the most…
Puenpatom and Rosenman (2008) examine universal health coverage in Thailand: “In 2001 Thailand became the first developing country to introduce universal health insurance coverage (UC). Six of 76 provinces adopted UC in April 2001, while the remaining provinces implemented UC in October of that year. One of the key elements of the program is capitated-based…
What are hospitals like in the Netherlands? A paper by Blank and Van Hulst (2009) give some insight. The paper studies Dutch general hospitals. These hospitals make up 80% of beds on 70% of hospital costs. Non-general hospitals include academic hospitals and specialty hospitals (e.g., eye clinics and rehabilitation clinics). Hospitals in the Netherlands “Hospitals,…
Scientific American has an article ranking countries based on how conducive they are to biotechnology innovation. The criteria are based on what is best for biotech firms and not necessary what is best for society. The rankings are based on the following metrics: Intellectual Property (IP) protection. In this ranking, more IP protection is considered better. For…