The aim of the present paper is to outline the scope of the benefit package in the British health care system. Therefore, firstly a short input on socio-economic and epidemiologic facts of the United Kingdom will be given and after that the British health system will be introduced. Finally the conceptual dimension of the intermediate goal Access & Coverage by the World Health Organization of a health system will be described in detail in order to outline the range of services and benefits to which the british citizens are entitled and to take a look on the criteria for decision making on the health basket in Great Britain.
Since the Brexit referendum in June 2016, Great Britain faces great political and economic challenges of immense social importance. Banks, businesses and even EU citizens working in the UK are worried and are partially leaving the country. Leaving the European Union threatens not only overall economic performance but will have far-reaching consequences for health and the National Health Service in the UK. Healthcare financing for British citizens in the EU and vice versa is at risk, as is access to medicines, technology, blood and organs for transplantation. Access to good health services is an important component in order to attain universal health coverage of the population. Ensuring that everyone has equal access to services is a top priority for the NHS, as set out in the NHS Operational Planning and Contracting Guidance. As most health care systems, UK has a minimum package of benefits to which the persons covered are entitled.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Background
3. The UK Health care system
4. Access & Coverage in the British Health Care System – The benefit basket
5. Conclusion
Research Objectives & Topics
The primary objective of this paper is to examine the scope of the benefit package within the British health care system and to analyze how the concept of Access & Coverage, as defined by the World Health Organization, is integrated into the National Health Service (NHS) to ensure universal health coverage.
- Socio-economic and epidemiological overview of the United Kingdom.
- Structural analysis of the National Health Service (NHS) and its funding mechanisms.
- Conceptual framework of Access & Coverage and the "coverage cube."
- Role of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in determining the benefit basket.
- Impact of Brexit on the future of pharmaceutical supply, data sharing, and health policy.
Excerpt from the Publication
Access & Coverage in the British Health Care System – The benefit basket
According to WHO´s Framework for action Access & Coverage is one of the intermediate goals of a Health system:
“A well-functioning health system ensures equitable access to essential medical products, vaccines and technologies of assured quality, safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness, and their scientifically sound and cost-effective use.”
WHO distinguishes three dimensions when defining the goal. First, countries seek to broaden the range of services and benefits to which their citizens are entitled. Secondly, they extend access to these health goods and services to broader populations, and ultimately to all citizens: the concept of universal access to these services. Protection against poverty and catastrophic spending is the third dimension. Countries are trying to provide citizens with social protection against the financial and social consequences of using healthcare (World Health Organization, 2007).
In literature and politics, the entitlement to universal access to a particular package of health services and social protection is referred to as universal coverage. In this context, the “coverage cube” is the most widely used framework (World Health Organization et al., 2010). (see Figure 5). It involves coverage with good health services (scope), coverage with a form of financial risk protection (depth) and - as a third feature – universality, which means that coverage should be for everyone (breadth). As it can be seen, the benefit basket is one of the three dimensions of health coverage (scope).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the challenges facing the British health system following the Brexit referendum and outlines the paper's aim to analyze the scope of the NHS benefit package.
2. Background: This section provides an overview of the United Kingdom's demographic and economic status, while highlighting recent trends in life expectancy and mortality rates.
3. The UK Health care system: This chapter details the history, structure, and funding of the NHS, explaining its tax-based financing and the distinction between services provided in the constituent countries.
4. Access & Coverage in the British Health Care System – The benefit basket: This section discusses the WHO framework for universal coverage, the role of NICE in technology assessment, and the challenges regarding unmet health needs in the UK.
5. Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes the current status of the NHS as a well-established system and assesses potential future impacts of Brexit on pharmaceutical access and healthcare policy.
Keywords
National Health Service, NHS, Universal Health Coverage, Access & Coverage, Health Technology Assessment, NICE, Brexit, Benefit Basket, Public Health, Healthcare Financing, Patient Entitlement, Socio-economic Factors, Medical Innovation, Health Policy, Healthcare Expenditure
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper examines how the British health care system, specifically the National Health Service (NHS), manages its benefit basket within the context of the WHO's goal of achieving universal access and coverage.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The key themes include the socio-economic status of the UK, the structure of the NHS, the conceptual framework of universal health coverage, and the processes of Health Technology Assessment (HTA).
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to outline the scope of the benefit package in the British health system and explore how decision-making criteria for this basket are established.
Which scientific method is utilized?
The paper employs a qualitative analysis of health policy literature, institutional structures, and relevant health data provided by international organizations and UK national statistics.
What aspects are addressed in the main body?
The main body covers the organization of the NHS, the definition of health coverage dimensions, the influential role of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and current challenges like unmet medical needs.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Significant keywords include NHS, Universal Health Coverage, Health Technology Assessment, NICE, and Brexit.
How does the author define the "benefit basket"?
The author describes it as the range of services, activities, and goods covered by publicly funded schemes, which can be framed by explicit positive or negative lists of what is included or excluded.
How might Brexit influence the British health system?
The paper speculates that Brexit may increase healthcare costs, complicate the supply chain for medicines, and potentially impact the global influence and evidence-sharing capabilities of the UK's HTA agencies.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Philip Thrun (Autor:in), 2019, Access & Coverage as an intermediate goal in the Health Care System of the United Kingdom, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/594704
