Socialized Vs. Universal Healthcare
The question of a government's duty to provide something as integral and basic as health care to its citizens is a part of the debate about the role of government in the lives of its citizens. Universal and socialized health care are different concepts, but both of them necessitate some level of government involvement.
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Univeral Health
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Universal health care can refer to two different concepts. Since the 1980s it has been mandated by US law that all citizens are guaranteed access to health care. Emergencies must be handled by the hospital. However, universal health care usually means universal health insurance, in which citizens are guaranteed insurance. Often this insurance is made more affordable to some or all of the populace, which is paid for through taxation.
Socialism
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The concept of socialism has traditionally meant public or direct worker ownership of the means of production and allocation of resources. Ambiguity arises, however, because modern use of the term has been applied to publicly funded and government run programs, especially in what has been dubbed "the welfare state".
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Social Care and Delivery
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Princeton economics professor Uwe E. Reinhardt argues that single payer insurance such as Medicare and the Canadian health care system represents a concept called social insurance rather than socialized health care. The UK's National Health Service, on the other hand, provides hospital care in addition to insurance; health professionals are ultimately employed by a government agency. This is also true for the Veterans Health Administration in the United States. However, even the concept of a nationalized hospital still revolves around basic free market principles, the difference is that costs are shifted from service users to the public. It is similar to the way in which libraries and fire departments are handled.
Coverage
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The distinction between universal and socialized health care is that universal just describes how many people are covered. It can be offered publicly through wage-garnished, tax-funded single payer or privately through a mandate (which makes it law to carry health care) or other soft legislation such as an opt-in (in which citizens can choose to join an insurance pool but are then bound to it). The United States system will soon mandate private insurance to achieve universal coverage and leave elderly in the hands of the single payer Medicare.
Delivery
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Even if a country has universal or near universal health care, the actual delivery of care through hospitals is usually privatized. In most developed countries nationalized hospitals are either intended to cover a limited part of the populace (such as veterans) or represent an option to private hospital providers.
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References
- Photo Credit health centre sign. access to health centre image by L. Shat from Fotolia.com
