%0 Book
%A Kim H. Bui
%D 2012
%C München, Germany
%I GRIN Verlag
%@ 9783656340997
%T Health Care Reforms in Industrialized Democracies: Sweden and Germany
%R 10.3239/9783656340997
%U https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/207048
%X As industrialized democracies have well advanced in its post-modernization, there has been growing concern regarding the well being of their citizens, in which special attention has gone to the health care system. Due to its sensitivity and inclination to market failures, health care has long been the domain where the governments have their extensive control (Chernichovsky 1995). There are different paths in health care system design that the governments can follow, which can be divided into two categories—National Health Service financed by state budget, and Social Insurance System contributed by individual payrolls. It is noteworthy that each type of health care system has its own strengths and weaknesses, and there is no pure form of either National Health Service or National Insurance System existing. Different historical contexts with their distinct political and socio-economic traits call for different hybrid forms. Reforms of health care system, therefore, are of essential importance.   On the same topic, this essay aims at providing insights into the health care reforms of the developed countries. First of all, in the first part, it acknowledges that health care systems are variable across borders, yet classifiable due to their generally identical ends. Afterwards, the second part presents an attempt to define the underlying forces behind the reform process. The third part goes into greater details of health care reform in terms of their directions, and analyse the cases of Germany and Sweden for a better understanding of such processes in case of National Health Service and National Insurance System. Finally, the essay ends with some general remarks and proposals for the future of health care reforms.  
%K health, care, reforms, industrialized, democracies, sweden, germany
%G English