Comparison and Contrast of Health Funding in Australian and United Kingdom Healthcare System

This article compares and contrasts the funding sources and types for healthcare systems in Australia and the United Kingdom. It discusses the impact of funding scenarios on healthcare services and highlights the similarities and differences in funding amount due to different populations. The article provides insights into public and private funding sources, including taxation and insurance, and their contribution to healthcare systems. It also includes references to relevant books, journals, and online sources.

Foundations for Professional
Health Practice

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Comparison......................................................................................................................................3
Contrast............................................................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Health funding is essential and plays an important role in getting eligible to delivery care
services to large population. In this there are different funding sources for different countries in
which some of the funding of country in Australia and United Kingdom have some comparison
and contrast are discussed. This can help to understand the funding source and type which is
effective for the nation. This contribute healthcare sector to perform different care service
effectively (Hassankhani & Soheili, 2017).
Comparison
Australian health system
It has been evaluated that Australian healthcare system are complex where different roles
and responsibility to funding and service delivery. 2017-18, it was about $185.4 billion spent on
the Australian health care system. There are two different category of funding within Australian
healthcare system like governmental and non-governmental. Here, government funders includes
State and territory government and Australian government. There is also joined fund sources like
private health insurers, individual who fund through out of pocket payments and worker
compensation schemes. In year 2017-18 about 68% of fund was arranged through the
governments. Where state contribution was about 26.7%. Rest of 32% of fund was arranged
through the non-governmental (Chapman & et. al., 2017). These funding are changing overtime
with the contribution and allow to enhance the service delivery with changing in the funding
sources and categories which provides the funding to the hea4lthcare system of Australia.
Medicare is the universal healthcare system within Australia and provide primary access to
healthcare services to their population. This is public funded through taxation which is included
thorough as per their income percent. Medicare funded 100% of healthcare cost whereas primary
care covers on 75% (Howes & et. al., 2021).
United Kingdom health system
United Kingdom funded National health system which provides free healthcare services
and was established in year 1948. There is different funding sources which includes 98.8%
through taxation and National Insurance contributions. There is only nearby 1.2% of NHS funds
are collected through charge of patients. NHS is having different specialists for every type of
treatment which includes different disease to accidents and emergency. Unlike Medicare in

Australia, NHS doesn't pay prescription charges for each prescription filled costs nearby £8.20.
Near about 18% of each individual within United Kingdom pay income tax which goes to fund
NHS. NHS expenses around £122 billion on health within year 2017/18. whereas, around £108
billion needed to spend in one day to deliver healthcare services. In 2017/18, there was about
£122.5 billion which implies to fund to run and delivery of care services (The UK healthcare
system, 2017). 10% of total GDP are spend on the healthcare system within United Kingdom.
This is large in number and decided to increase this percentage till year 2022. This percentage of
total GDP are increasing per year.
These are some of the difference between the funding of Australian and United Kingdom
which elaborates the funding scenario within each year. This also helps to get better and effective
understanding about the funding needed in healthcare system (Moore & et. al., 2017).
Contrast
It is essential to fund the healthcare sector which is crucial to regulate the smooth process
to delivery care services to people of their country. In this, Australian and United Kingdom both
fund for their healthcare system which is essential for the delivery of better care services. In both
country funding is crucial and both country funds large proportion of fund to their healthcare
system to regulate all the process effectively. Both country includes their funding through the
public fund which includes taxation. There is also private health insurance that provides large
share of fund to the private organisation. Fund is also generated through the employer funded
healthcare scheme. United Kingdom and Australian healthcare system both arrange their large
portion of fund through different sources which includes private funding through public and
other healthcare scheme and other government funding which collected through the citizens
taxation. Both Australia and United Kingdom are effectively take participation in funding their
healthcare system that can allow to take care of their population through delivering quality care
and services for health improvement of community (Comparing Healthcare: The UK vs.
Australia, 2018).
CONCLUSION
From above discussion, it can be conclude that there are various difference and
similarities within funding of Australian and United Kingdom healthcare system. This is
associated with sharing of fund to healthcare system to empower them for taking care of delivery

of healthcare services to their population. There are some similarities like both have public
funded healthcare system which runs through the taxation of public and private healthcare
system are funded through insurance. This is difference in the funding amount due to different in
the populations.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Chapman, R., & et. al., (2017). Impact of teamwork on missed care in four Australian
hospitals. Journal of clinical nursing, 26(1-2), 170-181.
Hassankhani, H., & Soheili, A. (2017). Zero-tolerance policy: the last way to curb workplace
violence against nurses in Iranian healthcare system. Journal of caring sciences, 6(1), 1.
Howes, R., & et. al., (2021). The surgical management of hidradenitis suppurativa in the United
Kingdom: a national survey of care pathways informing the THESEUS study. Journal
of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery.
Moore, R. C., Swendsen, J., & Depp, C. A. (2017). Applications for self‐administered mobile
cognitive assessments in clinical research: A systematic review. International journal of
methods in psychiatric research, 26(4), e1562.
Online
The UK healthcare system, (2017) [Online] Available through
<http://assets.ce.columbia.edu/pdf/actu/actu-uk.pdf>
Comparing Healthcare: The UK vs. Australia, (2018) [Online] Available through
<https://www.yourworldhealthcare.com/uk/news/comparing-healthcare-the-uk-vs-
australia>