World Scientific Series in Health Investment and Financing: Financing Universal Access to Healthcare (ePub)

-->The recent expansion of health insurance coverage in the USA under the Affordable Health Care Act, and current threats to reverse the benefits of this reform, have once again focused the world's attention on the difficult challenges faced by other countries trying to provide better access to healthcare to their population at an affordable cost. This textbook provides a comparative review of financing universal access to healthcare in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.The first two chapters of the book provide a framework for financing universal access to healthcare. The remaining eight chapters present case studies of eight OECD countries that have successfully introduced reforms to finance universal access to healthcare for their population through landmark legislative reforms. A concluding chapter focuses on the lessons learned from the OECD and recommendations from policymakers and others who are planning similar reforms. The book is designed as a learning tool for students and as a user guide for policymakers. -->Contents: IntroductionPrinciples and PracticeThe UKCanadaAustraliaNew ZealandDenmarkNorwaySwedenFinlandSummary of Lessons Learned --> -->Readership: Graduate and research-level students and instructors of healthcare financing, healthcare policymakers, and healthcare professionals and investors. -->Keywords:Universal;Health Financing;Health Insurance;Health Reform;Financial Protection;Political Process;HealthcareReview:"The International Hospital Federation (IHF) is committed to advancing the UHC agenda throughout the world, giving billions of people better access to critical hospital care and basic health services when needed, no matter their income or geographic location in the world. Since its establishment in 1929, the IHF recognizes the essential role of hospitals and health care organizations in providing health care, supporting health services and offering education to health care providers as a critical partner in during the drive for UHC throughout the world. This volume is a tribute to the renewed effort in achieving 'Health for All'."Eric de RoodenbekeExecutive DirectorInternational Hospital FederationGeneva 2018"This year, as we commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Alma-Ata Declaration of 'Health for All' in Almaty, Kazakhstan, 1978 and the 70th Anniversary of the UK National Health Service, 1948, we also celebrate the great achievement over the past decades in bringing access to affordable and quality health care for billions of people across the world since the 1950s. Looking forward, at the recent Universal Health Coverage Forum 2017 in Tokyo Japan, the international development community — including both bi-laterals and multi-laterals — committed to the 'Tokyo Declaration on Universal Health Coverage: All Together to Accelerate Progress towards UHC'. This text book makes a valuable contribution by reviewing the political, policy and implementation challenges that countries face in achieving this agenda. The approach used to analyze the eight case studies presented in the volume is a seminal work in comparative health policy."James Christopher LovelaceInternational Health and Development AdvisorFormer Director, Health Nutrition and Population, World BankFormer Assistant Deputy Minister of Health, Government of BC, CanadaFormer Director General of Health, Government of New Zealand Key Features:The main distinguishing feature of this book is to compare OECD countries that have successful experiences in addressing the policy challenges and political process of expanding health insurance and financial protection against the cost of illnessThe book is timely in terms of the current political and reform process in the US health reform processThe data analysis of the cost of universal health care presented in the book is unique and has not been published before