Austrian Healthcare System
AUSTRIA
Part One Austria is a central European country where the healthcare system is very well developed. This coverage allows the life expectancy, according to the Encyclopedia of Global Health, to be 79.09 years (Purdy, 2008). Infant mortality, a rate of a child dying before reaching the age of one is reported by the Encyclopedia of Global Health at 4.6 deaths per 1000 live births (Purdy, 2008) and the World Health Organization reports a similar piece of data, 4 deaths per 1000 deaths in 2009 (W.H.O., 2009). The Journal of the American Medical Association, on the other hand, describes the health status of Austria in regards to infant mortality at 8.1 per 1000 live births, a rate that has been steadily decreasing since World War II (Bennett, Schwarz, Marberger, 1993). This discrepancy among figures poses several questions and further inquiry.
Part Two Austria has one of the world's most highly developed and inclusive social welfare programs (Griffin and Shurgin, 2001). Social security is a main contributor to the health care system (Purdy, 2008). The health care in Austria is a national private and public health care system that provides good access to care and is based on a law that mandates health care as being a legal right to all (Bennett, Schwarz, Marberger, 1993). Austria reports having 99 percent of the inhabitants covered by some kind of health insurance plan, which are funded by workers, employers and the federal, provincial and local government. Also, all those covered by health care are entitled to free outpatient and inpatient treatments (Griffin and Shurgin, 2001). The difference between the public and private health care services offered in Austria includes the access for patients to choose hospitals with more amenities than those covered by the national health system. The laws, though, make a guarantee that the medical care must be of equivalence between the two systems (Bennett, Schwarz, Marberger, 1993).
Analytic Summary I personally
Part One Austria is a central European country where the healthcare system is very well developed. This coverage allows the life expectancy, according to the Encyclopedia of Global Health, to be 79.09 years (Purdy, 2008). Infant mortality, a rate of a child dying before reaching the age of one is reported by the Encyclopedia of Global Health at 4.6 deaths per 1000 live births (Purdy, 2008) and the World Health Organization reports a similar piece of data, 4 deaths per 1000 deaths in 2009 (W.H.O., 2009). The Journal of the American Medical Association, on the other hand, describes the health status of Austria in regards to infant mortality at 8.1 per 1000 live births, a rate that has been steadily decreasing since World War II (Bennett, Schwarz, Marberger, 1993). This discrepancy among figures poses several questions and further inquiry.
Part Two Austria has one of the world's most highly developed and inclusive social welfare programs (Griffin and Shurgin, 2001). Social security is a main contributor to the health care system (Purdy, 2008). The health care in Austria is a national private and public health care system that provides good access to care and is based on a law that mandates health care as being a legal right to all (Bennett, Schwarz, Marberger, 1993). Austria reports having 99 percent of the inhabitants covered by some kind of health insurance plan, which are funded by workers, employers and the federal, provincial and local government. Also, all those covered by health care are entitled to free outpatient and inpatient treatments (Griffin and Shurgin, 2001). The difference between the public and private health care services offered in Austria includes the access for patients to choose hospitals with more amenities than those covered by the national health system. The laws, though, make a guarantee that the medical care must be of equivalence between the two systems (Bennett, Schwarz, Marberger, 1993).
Analytic Summary I personally
References: CITED BENNETT, CHARLES L., BERNHARD SCHWARZ, and MICHAEL MARBERGER. “Health Care in Austria: Universal Access, National Health Insurance, and Private Health Care”. The Journal of the American Medical Association. JAMA. 1993;269(21):2789-2794. doi: 10.1001/jama.1993.03500210089039. Web. 22 Sep. 2011. http://jama.ama-assn.org.proxy1.cl.msu.edu.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/content/269/21/2789.refs GRIFFIN, ROBERT H., and ANN H. SHURGIN. "Austria." Countries and Their Cultures. Ed. Carol R. Ember and Melvin Ember. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001. 127-139. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 22 Sep. 2011. http://go.galegroup.com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CCX3401700023&v=2.1&u=msu_main&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w PURDY, ELIZABETH R.. "Austria." Encyclopedia of Global Health. 2008. SAGE Publications. 22 Sep. 2011. http://sage-ereference.com.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/view/globalhealth/n131.xml?rskey=XfUw8c&result=1&q=austria WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION. “Global Health Observatory Data Report.” Austria. Table: Country Statistics. 2009. World Health Organization. Web. 22 Sep. 2011. http://apps.who.int/ghodata/?vid=3800&theme=country