Comparison between UK and US healthcare system

The United Kingdom and the United States of America are the allied countries but they have a lot of things uncommon between them. Like every country has its own healthcare system these two sister countries also have their own different healthcare systems. In many of the ways healthcare systems of both of these sister countries are far different from each other. Medical aspirants who are looking for a bright medical career in any of these countries must know and understand the difference between their healthcare systems.

The United Kingdom’s Healthcare System
If you talk about healthcare system in the United Kingdom, it is based on a very noble belief that health is the primary birth right of an individual and is not a privilege that should be earned by an individual. This healthcare system here is basically a social insurance and it is called as National Health Service (NHS). In the most basic terminology National Health Service can be defined as the healthcare system where everyone pays in and everyone gets the required treatment. National Health Service is the national healthcare system which is publicly funded and is the oldest as well as the largest single-payer healthcare system in the whole world. National Health Service gets being paid for from general taxation and national insurance contributions. Residents pay them as income tax. The principle that remained at its core says that good healthcare should be available to everyone based on the clinical need, regardless of the money in their pocket. Hence the National Health Service in England always remains free at the point of use for all those who have the United Kingdom’s permanent residents. The National Health Service covers almost all procedures and services, hence, making this system a full proof system for securing health status of the United Kingdom’s residents. The very less portion of medical services in UK is being provided by the private sector, rest is covered by NHS.

The availability of the treatment at the time when it is required is the most important thing in the healthcare industry. Here I am talking about the emergency services. The response time after an accident has to be very less. In the United Kingdom, 95% of the patients are seen in emergency department in about 3 hours after an accident. Whereas in USA 85% of patients are seen in emergency department after 3 hours.

The United States of America’s Healthcare System
Unlikely to the United Kingdom, healthcare system in the United States of America is entirely different. Here the healthcare facility is more like a privilege that should be earned and availed by the individual himself, rather than a basic right. For most of the population the healthcare facility is private and everyone has to pay for their medical care. Therefore people here also rely on private health insurance plan.

Apart from this, certain segment of population like senior citizens and lower income population get some government aided health facilities. These healthcare facilities are provided through programs called Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare is the federal health insurance program for the people who are 65 or older, certain younger people with disabilities, and for the people with End-Stage Renal Disease. Medicare is funded by US taxpayers by paying 1.45% of their earning via Federal Insurance Contributions Act. Whereas Medicaid is a state and federal joint insurance program which covers medical expenses for citizens with low economic status including the pregnant women, children, parents of eligible children, disable citizens, and elderly citizens needing nursing care. Medicaid is funded jointly by state as well as federal government and not by the tax payers.

Be it private or government aided, the United States health system has various loopholes. All the services and procedures are not covered. The privatization of a big part of America’s healthcare system has dwindled access of free or subsidized medical care to most of the American citizens.

You have now got a zest of how different are the healthcare systems of these countries, but one thing that is common between the two healthcare systems is that both of the systems have an ever-growing need for healthcare workers and there is shortage of healthcare professionals including allied health professionals, doctors and nurses. In both the systems foreign doctors are welcomed. Though the completion is tough but it is always possible to get through this and hence make a medical career in any of these systems is always a better idea.

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