Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 14, 1993 TAG: 9302140330
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: D-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
PUBLIC, PRIVATE MIX MARKS HEALTH SYSTEMS
A look at a health care systems in other countries:Argentina: Two public systems, one government, the other run by trade unions. Government system includes hospitals run by municipalities and largely financed by proceeds from government gambling operations: lottery, football pools, casinos, horse racing. Hospitals nominally free, but patients must pay for cotton, syringes, even some surgical equipment, such as scalpels.
Belgium: Health insurance mandatory, provided by organizations affiliated with major political parties. Payroll deductions and employer contributions are the main support. State subsidies make up about a third, with patients paying small amounts for doctor visits, hospital stays or drugs. Deficits covered by government.
Britain: Government pushing free-market reforms on National Health Service, which provides care for all. Financed 80 percent from general revenues and partly from payroll deductions. Local health authorities allowed to contract with hospitals and other facilities. Doctors free to contract with hospitals to care for their patients. Elective surgery often requires long wait. Private care available.
China: Health care for civil servants and state-owned companies free or highly subsidized. No government program for the 800 million peasants, who pay themselves or buy insurance. Several experiments under way, modeled after insurance programs in South Korea, Hong Kong and United States.
Denmark: Government-run and financed by general taxation, with optional private insurance for expenses not covered. Some competition being introduced, such as patients allowed to chose among hospitals and doctors. Some discussion of allowing supermarkets to sell painkillers in competition with pharmacies.
Egypt: Government provides general hospitals in all cities, towns and large villages. Free treatment for outpatient cases. Health insurance, financed in part by payroll deductions, mandatory for government employees and those of larger companies.
France: Financed by government and payroll deductions of 6.8 percent, plus 12.6 percent from employer. Covers roughly 70 percent of doctor fees, drugs and other prescriptions, including aspirin, birth control, eyeglasses and dental braces. Rest paid by individual or through private insurance partially subsidized by employers.
Germany: More than 1,100 "sickness funds" organized on industrial and regional lines. About half of German workers, mainly blue collar, have no choice among plans. Payroll deductions of 8 percent to 16 percent, depending on fund. New legislation sets limits on increases in doctor and hospital fees.
Israel: Choice of four funds costing $150 to $200 a month per family. Medicines heavily subsidized. Dentistry not covered. Largest fund is $1 billion in debt. Government preparing changes under which citizens would pay government and it would reimburse clinics. About 7 percent of the population not covered by insurance, particularly recent immigrants.
Italy: Rorganizing what had been completely public system, reducing number of local administrative units and replacing political appointees with career staff. Experimenting with greater competition among doctors and alternatives to public system, including private insurance beginning in 1995. Low-cost, basic health care still will be guaranteed to all.
Japan: Cheap, equal medical care and insurance for everyone. Average payroll tax of 8.2 percent, with some paying only 3 percent, depending on insurance plan.
Mexico: Payroll deductions provide free medical care for all employed people. Complaints about quality of care are common.