Comparative Analysis: Healthcare Systems of USA, UK, and India

This essay provides a comparative analysis of the healthcare systems in the USA, the United Kingdom, and India. The author highlights the hybrid system of the USA, contrasting it with the National Healthcare Service in the UK and the vast, diverse system in India. The essay examines funding models, access to care, and the challenges faced by citizens in each country, including cost, wait times, and disparities between urban and rural healthcare. It concludes by summarizing the trade-offs between cost and availability in the USA, the affordability of UK healthcare, and the varying quality of public versus private healthcare in India, emphasizing the impact of government funding on service quality and the overall economy.

Running head: COMPARING HEALTH SYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

2COMPARING HEALTH SYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS
This essay is based on the characteristics of the healthcare system of USA. The health
care system in USA is quite different from the systems of other developed countries. The country
does not have any universal healthcare system. The USA healthcare system is a hybrid system. It
does not operate on a single payer health system.
The two countries with which the health care characteristics of USA are compared in this
essay are India which is a middle income country and England which is a developed
country (Worldbank.org, 2017). The healthcare system of India is vast. There are many
differences in quality of health care between the rural and urban areas of India. The health care
system in London is generally provided by the National Healthcare Service which provides
health care to the residents of London. The health care system in United Kingdom is mainly
organized by the British National Healthcare System which provides health care services to the
residents of London. Health care in UK is considered to be the right and not the privilege of the
residents of the country. In USA the health care system is funded publicly (Swayne, Duncan &
Ginter, 2012). The person who pays gets the treatment in this case. Health care plans in UK are
not actually free for the citizens. The cost for the healthcare systems is paid through the tax paid
by the citizens. The cost incurred by the citizens is equal. This is the reason why the health care
services in UK are free at the point of access. The cost of health care services in USA are than
other countries. The health care services are paid for by the government programs, private health
insurance and the citizen’s personal funds. The availability of health care services is an important
factor. The availability of health care services in USA is better as compared to UK. The wait
time for emergency patients in USA is 58 minutes whereas, for those in UK is approximately
four hours. The challenges faced by the citizens of London due the healthcare system are, the
quality of primary care in different in different parts of the country, the health of the citizens in

3COMPARING HEALTH SYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS
some parts of the country is very poor, the patterns of hospitalization is different and availability
of services also varies. The challenges faced by the citizens of USA due to the health care system
are, the cost of health care is high and hence the government and the citizens have to spend more
on the health care services, which in turn have an impact on the country’s economy. The benefits
of the health care services are different for USA and UK. The health care services in USA are
readily available for the citizens as it has been discussed that the wait time for the emergency
services is low. On the other hand, the services in UK are cheaper and free at the point of service.
The expenses for the services are paid by the citizens of the country in the form of tax to the
government. The system is uniform for all in this case (Oecd.org, 2017). The healthcare system
in India can be called universal. The quality of health care differs a lot when compared with the
urban and rural areas. The healthcare services are funded by the government in urban and rural
areas. The health care system funded by the government is not always adequate, due to which the
citizens mostly opt for private health care services. The rural areas suffer a lot due to the poor
health services provided by the government. The healthcare services provided in the urban areas
are beneficial for the citizens if the services are private. The private healthcare services are better
as compared to the government services (Rao & Choudhury, 2012).
From the above discussion it can derived that the USA healthcare services are overpriced,
but the services are readily available. On the other hand the services in UK are cheaper as
compared to USA, but the availability is less. In case of India, the health care services provided
by private hospitals is much better as that of government hospitals. Funding of services by the
government organizations plays an important role on the quality of service and also on the
economy of the country.

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References:
Oecd.org. (2017). Health policies and data - OECD. Oecd.org. Retrieved 22 September 2017,
from http://www.oecd.org/health/health-systems/
Rao, M. G., & Choudhury, M. (2012). Health care financing reforms in India. National Institute
of Public Finance and Policy.
Swayne, L. E., Duncan, W. J., & Ginter, P. M. (2012). Strategic management of health care
organizations. John Wiley & Sons.
Worldbank.org. (2017). European Union Overview. Worldbank.org. Retrieved 22 September
2017, from http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/eu/overview

5COMPARING HEALTH SYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS