Healthcare reform
Healthcare reform
Healthcare reform (pronunciation: /ˈhelθˌker rɪˈfɔrm/) refers to the changes in health policy that affect healthcare delivery in a given place. These changes often aim to improve the quality, accessibility, and affordability of healthcare services.
Etymology
The term "healthcare reform" is a compound word derived from "healthcare" and "reform". "Healthcare" (also spelled health care) is from the Old English "hǣlth" meaning "health" and the Middle English "care" meaning "charge, oversight, attention". "Reform" comes from the Latin "reformare" meaning "to shape again, alter, change".
Related Terms
- Health policy: The decisions, plans, and actions undertaken to achieve specific healthcare goals within a society.
- Universal healthcare: A health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care.
- Single-payer healthcare: A type of universal healthcare in which the costs of essential healthcare for all residents are covered by a single public system.
- Managed care: A type of health insurance where all health services are coordinated through a specific network of healthcare providers.
- Public health: The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals.
Healthcare reform in different countries
Healthcare reform varies by country and often involves debates in areas such as healthcare delivery, access to healthcare, healthcare quality, and health equity.
- Healthcare reform in the United States: The ongoing healthcare reform debate in the U.S. has been a political issue focusing on a major overhaul of the healthcare system, improving healthcare quality, reducing healthcare costs, and expanding insurance coverage.
- Healthcare reform in the United Kingdom: The UK has a publicly funded healthcare system, the National Health Service (NHS), which has undergone various reforms to improve efficiency, quality, and patient choice.
- Healthcare reform in Canada: Canadian healthcare reform has focused on issues such as improving access to healthcare services, reducing healthcare costs, and improving the quality of care.
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