Comparative Study: Australian, US, and French Healthcare Systems

This report provides a comprehensive comparative analysis of the healthcare systems in Australia, the United States, and France. It begins with an abstract outlining the importance of accessible healthcare and the impact of environmental factors on public health. The introduction highlights the varying approaches to healthcare provision, including insurance systems and government funding models. The report delves into the Australian healthcare system, detailing its financial structure, including government expenditure and funding distribution, and its strengths, such as affordable access and a wide range of services. The report then contrasts this with the US healthcare system, pointing out issues related to access, cost, and the impact of socioeconomic factors. Finally, the report examines the French healthcare system, emphasizing its universal access, preventative care focus, and funding mechanisms, while also acknowledging its drawbacks. The report concludes with a direct comparison across key components such as financial implications, hospital costs, common health issues, discrimination elements, and health insurance, providing a clear overview of the similarities and differences between the three healthcare systems. Obesity rates in each country are also discussed.

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AUSTRALIAN HEALTHCARE
Comparative Study
11.Sep.2019

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AUSTRALIAN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
ABSTRACT
Availability of medical services throughout the nation should be mandatory in order to facilitate
proper healthcare to those who need the same. In the recent times, the environment has become
significantly dust prone and polluted causing germs and bacteria to affect everybody’s health
severely. People are becoming less immune towards the environment and the general climatic
conditions prevalent. The aim of this study is to analyse the Australian healthcare system, in
terms of all the financial implications, challenges that it faces, etc. The article is also written to
differentiate the Australian healthcare system from the two other OECD member countries,
amongst which the study has been done for the healthcare system of the United States and
France. The entire analysis exhibits the traits and characteristics of the healthcare system
prevalent in all the three specified countries. The common problem faced by almost all the
countries, that is, obesity, has also been described in the context below.
INTRODUCTION
Healthcare is the utmost important objective throughout the nation currently. These days people
are becoming less immune and falling sick every now and then. Every country has their own
standard of granting the healthcare services to the commoners. Some are expensive, while some
are affordable. The medical insurance system prevalent everywhere facilitates the easy access to

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the medical services. The system insures the people on the basis of age, and the other health
factors. The system also provides for the cashless treatment when they are acknowledged to the
hospitalization of the patient and also the reimbursement policy which is available after the
treatment has been provided to the patient.
When surveyed throughout the nation, the Australian healthcare system is thought to be one of
the great systems. Australian healthcare system enables safe, healthy and hygienic care for
everyone. And, most importantly, the health care provided to the patients in Australia is
affordable to all the higher, middle, and the lower class of people. The Australian government
also facilitates absolutely free and also low-cost access for those requiring the healthcare
services. The healthcare system there provides vast range of services starting from public health
and its preventive measures through the regular medication practice and the community health,
along with the hospital care, rehabilitation and palliative care, emergency health services and the
general health care.("Australian Healthcare System - IMAN Australian Health Plans", 2019)
The major path for health services like consultation involving specialists, hospital admission, in-
house patient regular check and other diagnostic tests, are General Practitioners (GPs) and
emergency departments (EDs)
The EDs are the departments that help in treating patients who are in need of the surgical or
medical care, which are mostly available in the general public hospitals throughout the country.
The GPs are the ones called for, when certain primary health care is required, that is, at the basic
of illness, maybe fever.

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Though simple, but the funding system of the healthcare system prevalent in the country is way
more difficult, since it includes too many people for funding and the healthcare assistants. The
funding process has to go through various gateways. The Government of Australia takes the
responsibility of the entire healthcare by enabling medical insurance clauses and direct
payments to the States and Territories, who in turn are liable for the direct facility of services.
Initiation of the Universal Benefit Schemes, such as MBS, for the private medical services and
PBS for the pharmaceuticals are undertaken, designed to contribute to the creation of public
hospitals bothin the States and the Territories.(Douglas, Rebeiro, Crisp & Taylor, 2012)
Below given are approximated figures from the year 2001-2002, as per the analysis of the
Australian Health and Welfare College:
Australian Health
Expenditure
$66.6 billion
GDP 9.3 % Of $ 66.6
billion
Estimated Funds 68.4% of the
total amount
spent on health
services.

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Segregation of the total funding amongst the Australian, territorial and local Governments are
given below:
Australian
Government
46.10%
Territory and
Local
Governments
22.30%
Irrespective of the location and the size, the common economic problems faced by the healthcare
providers are:
● Adaptation to the market forces
● Access to the digital innovation and technological transformation
● Meeting the requirements relating to the regulation and compliance.
● Management of investing the funds in a capital- restricted environment.4
The solution that the countries at large can follow to respond to the above mentioned economic
problems are:
● By following the principle of “Sharing is Caring”, that is sharing the available resources
with the other healthcare providers and the hospitals

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● By shifting on to the different payment modes for services. These modes can even be
leasing or renting the equipment.
● Alternative sources of funding should be hired for the betterment in the capital
investment.
● Hiring the same individual or company for the multiple tasks might help in reducing
the total ownership costs("Overview of the Australian healthcare system | ALRC", 2019)
According to the study of the OECD member countries, Obesity rate in Australia are ranked
lower than the other member countries in the development program. The statement is not
completely correct because, when measured, 60% of the Australians currently are obese which is
expected to rise to 80% by the end of the year 2025. The problem of obesity is the highest in the
United States, New Zealand, and Hungary and also the lowest in Japan and Korea.("Rising
Obesity in the United States Is a Public Health Crisis", 2019)
UNITED STATES HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
The United States lacks the proper medical facilities. The health insurance system in the country
causes human rights crisis depriving the proper healthcare to huge number of people. The
country is more prone to the differentiation amongst the people on the grounds of racism, income
and the environment. Healthcare is based on these elements and provided disproportionately
which strongly effects on the disadvantaged minority and under-resourced groups, like the
people who are leading life in poverty, people of another color and the other immigrants from the
outside countries. The healthcare system of the said country lacks in protecting the human rights
to the appropriate medication and medical services("Health Care in the United States", 2019)
Few of the common issues experienced by the countrymen are summarized below:

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● The new-born rate of mortality in the country is very low and also has lower life
expectancy than the other OECD member countries.
● The country has proportionately highest rate of maternal mortality, when compared to the
other high –income countries and also the maximum cases of C-Section deliveries
irrespective of even finding if the patient is fit enough to undergo the normal delivery
instead of C-Section.
● Large number of people are dying each year because of not having health insurance
without which the treatment is not affordable.
Upon analysation, by the Commonwealth Fund in the year 2010, it has been found out that the
56% of the American residents have received the basic insurance coverage through the private
insurers although the 27% are included under the basic public programs provided by the US
Government. The last 16% of the complete ratio were the ones who were lacking through the
entire health insurance.
Most of the healthcare provisions in the country are privately owned and a decentralized affair
where the health practitioners are also not very focused towards the motive of saving life only.
The estimation of healthcare in the United States funds are:
US Health
Expenditure
$3.2 trillion

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GDP 17.8 % Of $ 3.2
trillion
Estimated Funds 75% of the total
amount spent on
health services.
FRANCE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
The healthcare system in France ranges to both the private as well as the and public-owned
hospitals at large. The French medical system is accessible to one and all irrespective of their
income, age or status, which makes it flexible to avail even for the other immigrants in the
country. Generally, there is no private insurance system and it is mandatory for all the country
residents to get themselves registered with the French health insurer, and the available doctor to
avail the proper treatment when needed and also get the reimbursement for the French insurance
system upon claim.
The foreign immigrants in the country are privileged by the grant of Protection Universelle
Maladie (PUMA) which allows them, even whether they are working or not, to get access to the
healthcare benefits after three months of residing in the country.(Sardesai, 2012)
Enumerating below the advantages and disadvantages of the French healthcare system:

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Advantages:
● The system offers an extensive access to the specialist care.
● It stresses on preventative care.
● It allows everybody to become eligible for utilizing the healthcare benefits, even to the
outsiders once they have completed 3 months of residency.
● Doctors are generally genuine, both in terms of knowledge and charging their wage
from the patient.
● The system also facilitates the patients to buy the supplemental insurance, if need be.
Disadvantages:
● Higher tax rates are required to be paid for the healthcare costs of the general population.
● French countrymen requires higher healthcare services than the other OECD countries,
hence doctors and workers shortages might be experienced.
● The doctors at times are at a loss in terms of finance. As the healthcare facilities are low
in charge, then the practitioners might lose on their profit factor for the services rendered.
● The immigrants or foreigners who have not completed 3 months of residency will be
charged at 100% for the services and will not be able to even claim the reimbursement
under the applicable insurance system.
● The system does not follow the basic rule of “Prevention is better than cure”. The
preventive measures of pregnancy are more expensive than the abortion in women. The
system even provides free abortion.
The estimation of the medicare services in the French funding system are:

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French
Health Expenditure
EURO 16.73
billion
GDP 20.7 % Of
EURO 16.73
billion
Estimated Funds 52.93% of the
total amount
spent on health
services.
Obesity, as a common health issue have been the lowest in France than all other OECD member
countries, but pertaining to the changing lifestyle of people, the obesity rate is also increasing.
Approximately 40% of the people in the country are obese, which exists equally in both men and
women.("Obesity and the Economics of Prevention: Fit not Fat - France Key Facts - OECD",
2019)
Difference between Australian Healthcare and the United States Health Care:
COMPONENT AUSTRALIAN
HEALTHCARE
UNITED STATES
HEALTHCARE
FRANCE
HEALTHCARE

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Financial
Implications
Health expenditure in
a year is $66.6 billion,
way less than US
Health expenditure is
$3.2 trillion.
Health
Expenditure is
EURO 16.73
billion
Hospital costs Hospital stay
expenditures are
lower. Bed and stay
costs are not very
high.
Costs of staying in the
hospital for the
treatment is very
expensive and
unaffordable for the
ones who are not
covered under the
proper health
insurance.
Affordable
hospital charges
Common Health
Issues
60% of the
Australians are obese.
Obesity in the US is
comparatively much
higher resulting in
increased number of
deaths also.
Lowest obesity
rate amongst all
the OECD
countries

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Discrimination
element
Equal healthcare
treatment is provided
to all the commoners,
when needed
Rationed healthcare
treatment is provided
after discriminating
on the grounds of
racism, caste and
wealth.
Healthcare
services at cheap
costs are available
to everybody
Health Insurance Not mandatory Mandatory so as to
avail the services on
time, because
otherwise, these are
very expensive and
generally not
affordable.
Requires to be
covered under the
Government
insurance to avail
hassle free
services.
References:
1. The Australian health system. (2019). Retrieved 11 September 2019, from
https://www.health.gov.au/about-us/the-australian-health-system