Comparison between Health Funding in the United States and Australia

This article compares the healthcare funding systems of the United States and Australia, highlighting similarities and differences. It also discusses the impact of funding on the delivery of quality care.

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Title: Comparison between Health Funding in the United States and Australia
Shan Stephen
Curtin School of Nursing, Curtin University
CMHL1000 Foundations for Professional Health Practice
Amy Pracilio, Lee Fei Sim
22 November 2021
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Contents
Page
Comparison between Health Funding in the United States and Australia 3
Introduction 3
Health Funding in the United States 3
Health Funding in Australia 4
Health Funding in Australia compared to the United States 4
Contrast of Health care funding in Australia and the United States 5
Conclusion 5
References 6
Appendix 8
Appendix B 11
Appendix C 14
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Comparison Between Health Funding In The United States And Australia
Health is an essential aspect in the life of every human being and every country. Health
systems can effectively meet all the health needs of their citizens by utilizing some of the
available financial resources through health funding (Shrank et al., 2021). However, a lack of
facilitation of the health sectors in any social setup will lead to the downfall of other sectors such
as the political and economic sectors (Shrank et al., 2021). Therefore, the financing factor is
fundamental in impacting health system effectiveness to improve accessibility and delivery of
primary care (Robertson et al., 2016). Different countries have their own healthcare funding
which impact the variation in delivery of quality care to their citizen as the healthcare services.
This funding provides the opportunity to improve delivery of quality care (Corvino & et. al.,
2020). According to Shrank et al. (2021), health funding also helps purchase, pool, and resource
mobilization in a healthcare facility. In the United States, the health funding process is through
government programs such as medicaid and medicare. In Australia, health financing is primarily
through medicare, which permanent residents and all other citizens have access to (AIHW,
2020). Therefore, governments should take the initiative of funding their health systems. From
the research, the comparisons between USA and Australian healthcare funding systems have
many similarities on the health funding process.
Health Funding in the United States
The United States of America’s (USA) healthcare system is through self-provision. The
organization of this system allows citizens of the USA to become responsible for healthcare costs
when in need of healthcare services (Papanicolas et.al., 2018). In USA, there is no any universal
healthcare that can provides healthcare benefits at lower cost or at free of cost. There is need to
pay for the healthcare services to all the citizens who are getting their services (Al Dalbhi & et.
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al., 2019). However, Johnson & Walston (2020) argue that health insurance is complex,
surpassing $1,000 every month, non-affordable to most Americans. Therefore, the healthcare
system focuses on improving equity, affordability, and accessibility to health services. According
to Shrank et al. (2021), the maximum utilization of the medicaid program provides the ultimate
opportunity to boost health equity and improve coverage. Besides, the healthcare coverage by the
private third-party sectors is forty percent of resource funds for the healthcare services, the
public covers forty eight percent, and the citizens cover the remaining twelve percent
(Behdarvand et al., 2019). It is also important to note that private organizations cover USA
citizens more than public financing when receiving healthcare-related services (Johnson and
Walston, 2020). Private organization are largely covering the area of healthcare where about
58% of community hospital which provides the care and treatment to people of United States are
said to be non-affordable. USA spend about 18% of their GDP in healthcare sector to provide
better and effective healthcare facilities to their citizens. It spend about $9,403 healthcare per
capita which was in year 2014. It is essential to provide better healthcare to citizen of USA. In
context to this, it required large amount of funding which can help to fulfill the required
resources to fulfill the demand of individual patient at healthcare premises. In this, funding for
healthcare system should be smooth and increasing to improve quality and efficiency for
delivery of care and services (Clark & et. al., 2020). There is need large amount of funds to the
healthcare system to get better and effective healthcare treatment for the people who are
generally suffering form cardiovascular diseases and neurological disorder. In recent it has also
been analyzed that due to impact of corona virus, there is need to increase the funding sources
which requires huge burden on the healthcare system. This was effective and requires large
funding to process the facility which requires resources to operate all the function within
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healthcare. Due to impact of corona virus, there are larger population who get suffer through
various mental disease and requires different care and support. This impact has created huge
burden on the healthcare system of USA. To fight with this burden there is need to deliver
quality of care and support services to the healthcare professionals to deal with this situation and
provides positive outcomes (Krahe & et. al., 2019).
Health Funding in Australia
Most private organizations are engaged to determine the overall good health of
Australians (AIHW, 2020). According to Kerr and Hendrie (2018), the goal of the Australian
government is to ensure that equitable access to healthcare services is patient-based. So instead,
the government partners with the public and private sectors to ensure health funding (Kerr and
Hendrie, 2018). There are many funding sources which are implies through the government,
health insurance providers, individual and others. These are the funding sources which generally
focus on the delivery of better and effective healthcare treatment which requires to fill the
demand of healthcare needs. In this case, the AIHW (2020) states that "the Australian health
system is a hybrid system where health care can be funded through either taxation or privately,
with a regulated voluntary health insurance system being a key aspect" (p. 162). Taxation is
essential because the government can secure health products and services for its population
(Behdarvand et al., 2019). It regulates the funding sources that requires to get the goods and
services within healthcare. This is effective and funding sources can help to get the good which
are required to fill the demand of healthcare needs. There is also needed to care about public
providers and the private providers (Varghese & et. al., 2021).
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References
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Appendix A Conept Grid
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Appendix B Search Strategy
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Appendix C Student Checklist
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