Abstract

The US political debates have focused on resolving conflicts over Health Care Reforms. Budgetary limitations have spurred a debate over the financing issues of the Health Care Reforms. The debate on the financing issues of Health care Reforms has also gained attention in the United Kingdom. The recent changes in healthcare policies of the US can be considered as one of the primary factors, which have created concerns among the British healthcare professionals. At present, the British healthcare system (the National Health Service program) provides healthcare services to its senior citizens but the budgetary issues are causing limitations to the effectiveness of the program. After 50 years of the launch of this program, it faces similar changes as the US healthcare system is facing. The main issues in health care reforms are about quality, cost and the management of the implementing these reforms.

Health Care Reform: Politics or Reality?

Introduction

In the United States, the Health Care program was initiated in 1965 and became fully operational in 1966. At that time, the United States of America was the only country, which had initiated the compulsory healthcare policy for its citizens. Similar to the model of healthcare management of the US, National Health Service program was initiated in the United Kingdom. In United States, the debate on the issue of Health Care was long and bitter and it might not have passed without the intense efforts of then President Johnson and skilful management of Wilbur Mills (Altenstetter, 2007). On July 30, 1965 President Lyndon Johnson signed the bill in Independence, Missouri (Blane, 2006). The formal creation of Health Care was not an easy job and was a huge success for President Johnson.

Background

It was a long and bitter political struggle that resulted in the creation of a government financed healthcare system in the country. This struggle had its roots from Europe in the nineteenth century but it took the form of reality after the World War II. Although, the passage of Healthcare policies was a great success but it did not brought the struggle to an end. In fact it created new challenges for the government to deal with. Although the concept of government financed healthcare was politically appealing but it had many drawbacks when considered under the context of economic laws (Altenstetter, 2007).

The formation of a formal healthcare system in both the countries was a result of a number of political compromises. In United States, three broad economic and medical developments were responsible for this progress, which were taking place 25 years prior to 1960s. The most influential development of the era was the development in the field of medicine. Although medicine made impressive progress in the beginning of the twentieth century but it was not fully adopted by medical practitioners until the World War II. As a result of this, the demand for healthcare was low and so was the cost. However, with the development of medicines like antibiotics and penicillin the usage of medicines increased. Because of these new developments in medicine ...