Funding Health Care Services

Funding Health Care Services

Introduction

In the majority of the developed countries, health care service facilities are paid primarily through government funds or a related organization, using the taxes collected from the general public. For instance, in United Kingdom, there is a “single-payer” system that enables the government to pay directly for care; in Germany and France, the government health care system funds part of the total cost through government collected taxes while employers and individuals pay for remainder costs directly (Financing health care, n.d.).

On the other hand, countries like United States have some part of the health care system that is market-based. This implies the health care system is paid for by private entities, such as individuals and employers. However, government may still provide health care to some people, who require. For example, the U.S. federal funds supports the elderly people and disable via Medicare, as well as, the low-income people through state and federal funded Medicaid (Financing health care, n.d.).

Discussion

Financing of health care system is via two broader categories, including of market-based and government financed, which presents different pros and cons and neither are perfect in every aspect. Each society is required to make choices between how broadly the basic and advanced care is accessible, in addition to, how much health care will pay and how much it will be available to the patient. In the market-based system, followed in U.S., the health care is categorized into private organizations and individuals. There are different methods of funding, such as payers, providers and suppliers, as well as people with insurance who are enables to choose according to their needs. The doctors also benefit from this system via best-practice guideline indicating when and for whom the treatment should be utilized. However, the disadvantage in the market-based system is when physicians and patients' freedom of their choices, coordination of care can become a challenge leading to duplication of services. In addition, since some people may not have access to the care they require, government funded “safety net” programs are in place, which addresses the needs of people who cannot buy insurance in the private market, including the elderly and the disables (Financing health care, n.d.).

Funding of Ambulatory Services

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has a program, known as Ambulatory Services and Quality (ASQ), which aims to improve the ambulatory health care service facilities across the nation, with particular focus on safety and quality. The Ambulatory services can be improved by funding in four areas, which includes the following:

Risk Assessment in Ambulatory Care: This focuses on the broader view in the ambulatory care services. It comprises on clinicians and other health care providers associated in ambulatory care, as well as, the patients receiving care in an ambulatory setting and across the high-risks in the transitional care. The funds will support the research that aims to assess the risk involved with ambulatory care, which have not yet been fully understood. Important point in this component of ASQ is ...