Health Care System
In order to describe the provision, management and effectiveness of health care systems in England, one must first define healthcare. Health care in nature is a universal requirement and is essentially (in economic terms) a derived demand from health. Health care is provided by personnel in a multidisciplinary team who work to advance and sustain a state of physical, mental and social wellbeing for all. A health care system can therefore be defined as a medium through which health care is provided to the population.
The varying types of health care systems have arisen from each health service having their own different health objectives. Fundamentally there are two models of systems that health care seems to be based around (Culyyer et. al, …show more content…
Japan and Germany both have a mixed health care system, the UK a single payer and the US a multi payer health insurance. Two mixed payer systems have been included to show the variability of the mixed health care system; Germany being below the average effectiveness and Japan being above. The life expectancy does not fluctuate much; instead the variability of the effectiveness arises from health care spending.
The UK is seen as being averagely effective but only for OECD countries, but as a single payer health care system and taking into account countries not in the OECD it can be viewed as an effectively run service.
The US clearly spends the most on health care than any other single country (Table 2), and it also has the largest multi payer system and private health care in the world. Its poor effectiveness (life expectancy vs. expenditure) could be attributed to the type of system it enforces or simply its inefficiencies could be due to a theory known as diseconomies of scale. Krugman (2007) estimated that the US spent $98 billion in excess (relative) administrative costs and $66 billion in excess (relative) drug costs compared to nations with a single payer health …show more content…
Catlin, A., Cowan, C., Heffler, S., Washington, B. and the National Health Expenditure Accounts Team. 2007. National health spending in 2005: the slowdown continues. Health Affairs, 26(1), pp.142-153
5. Connolly, S., Bevan, G. and Mays, N., 2010. Funding and Performance of Healthcare Systems in the Four Countries of the UK Before and After Devolution. [online] Nuffield Trust. Available at: [Accessed on 27 March 2013].
6. Culyer, A.J., Maynard, A. and Williams,A., 1981. Alternative systems of health care provision: an essay on motes and beams. In: M. Olson, ed. 1981. A New Approach to the Economics of Health Care. Washington and London: American Enterprise Institute, p.134
7. Dobson, S., 2012. Leadership skills for General Practitioners in the new commissioning arrangements. MA. Plymouth University. Available at: [Accessed 01.05.2013]
8. Ewens, A., 2002. The nature and purpose of leadership. In E. Hawkins and C. Thornton, ed. 2002. Six Steps to Effective Management: Managing and Leading Innovation in Health Care.
9. London: Balliere Tindall. Ch.4.
10. Hartley, J. and Benington, J., 2011. Recent Trends in Leadership Thinking and Action in the Public and Voluntary Service Sector. [online] King’s Fund. Available at: [Accessed 17 March
The varying types of health care systems have arisen from each health service having their own different health objectives. Fundamentally there are two models of systems that health care seems to be based around (Culyyer et. al, …show more content…
Japan and Germany both have a mixed health care system, the UK a single payer and the US a multi payer health insurance. Two mixed payer systems have been included to show the variability of the mixed health care system; Germany being below the average effectiveness and Japan being above. The life expectancy does not fluctuate much; instead the variability of the effectiveness arises from health care spending.
The UK is seen as being averagely effective but only for OECD countries, but as a single payer health care system and taking into account countries not in the OECD it can be viewed as an effectively run service.
The US clearly spends the most on health care than any other single country (Table 2), and it also has the largest multi payer system and private health care in the world. Its poor effectiveness (life expectancy vs. expenditure) could be attributed to the type of system it enforces or simply its inefficiencies could be due to a theory known as diseconomies of scale. Krugman (2007) estimated that the US spent $98 billion in excess (relative) administrative costs and $66 billion in excess (relative) drug costs compared to nations with a single payer health …show more content…
Catlin, A., Cowan, C., Heffler, S., Washington, B. and the National Health Expenditure Accounts Team. 2007. National health spending in 2005: the slowdown continues. Health Affairs, 26(1), pp.142-153
5. Connolly, S., Bevan, G. and Mays, N., 2010. Funding and Performance of Healthcare Systems in the Four Countries of the UK Before and After Devolution. [online] Nuffield Trust. Available at: [Accessed on 27 March 2013].
6. Culyer, A.J., Maynard, A. and Williams,A., 1981. Alternative systems of health care provision: an essay on motes and beams. In: M. Olson, ed. 1981. A New Approach to the Economics of Health Care. Washington and London: American Enterprise Institute, p.134
7. Dobson, S., 2012. Leadership skills for General Practitioners in the new commissioning arrangements. MA. Plymouth University. Available at: [Accessed 01.05.2013]
8. Ewens, A., 2002. The nature and purpose of leadership. In E. Hawkins and C. Thornton, ed. 2002. Six Steps to Effective Management: Managing and Leading Innovation in Health Care.
9. London: Balliere Tindall. Ch.4.
10. Hartley, J. and Benington, J., 2011. Recent Trends in Leadership Thinking and Action in the Public and Voluntary Service Sector. [online] King’s Fund. Available at: [Accessed 17 March