Universal Health Care in Europe and Canada

Health care is a basic need of each individual and it must be regarded as a basic human right. It is a phrase used to address a health care system which offers health care and financial protection to all citizens of a particular nation. The objectives of universal health care system include financing health services, ensuring well-run health services, adequate competence of well-trained and motivated health workers, and access to fundamental medicines and technologies. Universal health care was initially started in Germany in the year 1883 and spread through the rich countries of Europe and Canada. The European nations with this stem include Germany, Belgium, France, and Sweden. Universal health care is paid for or subsidized by the government (Kringos et al., 2013). It is also known as single-payer health care system in some countries such as Canada. Each and every person is worthy of at least basic health care irrespective of their financial status, background, and origin. It is also recognized as universal health coverage, universal coverage or universal care. The advantage of the universal health care is that it ensures that every person is able to get access to quality health care leading to improved health, reduces paperwork by medics, and promotes equality.
According to World health organization, universal health care is a situation where each citizen can receive health services without incurring financial hardships (World Health Organization, 2015). The entire population of Canada is able to at least get the basic care that it requires. The system covers the entire population and spreads the cost of the healthcare such that every Canadian has access to quality services. Unlike in the United States, no citizen of Canada is denied access to health care based on whether he has the ability to pay or not. Individual citizens are provided with preventive care and medical treatment from all levels of the medical services. The universal health care identifies the Canadians as proud citizens since it differentiates them from the rest of the nation (Mossialos, Wenzl, Osborn & Anderson, 2016). Since all the citizens of Canada have equal access to medical health care there is improved health of the general population of Canada. This has eventually led to decline in the amount of illness suffered by the general population and created healthier people as well as improved productivity. The system enables the European citizens to obtain treatments for basic conditions at no costs without the fear of not being able to meet the expenses for them. This is assists in the reduction of the spread of infectious diseases as well as other common health challenges affecting the population.
Equal access to health care, which is possibly the greatest benefit to the citizens of Canada and Europe equips them with the most needed services such a examination, diagnoses, and treatment. This health care system does not discriminate against anyone since it provides basic health services for all citizens in Canada and Europe promoting equality. The system enables those that are unemployed and the working class to access quality care. The universal health care has also ensured that every citizen of Canada who exercises the health plan is able to benefit from the health care in spite of the social status (Rosella et al., 2014). This type of health care offers equal treatment to all the citizens regardless of their social status. The poor and the rich get the same health care since it does not discriminate against anyone. The healthcare system provides individual citizens with health coverage regardless of medical history, standard of living or personal income. Therefore, it is aimed at offering a specified health care which will benefit every individual in a country as well as providing economic risk protection, improved health outcomes and improved access to health services. It is formulated to cover dimensions such as who is covered, the services covered, and the cost to be covered. For that case, Canada is one of the highest life expectancies and lowest infant mortality rates among the industrialized nations.
Universal healthcare system has reduced paperwork for medics in Canada and Europe since professionals and doctors do not need to waste time on numerous records. The doctors can concentrate on the treatment but not on the patient’s insurance or other essential paper work. With this system, it is easier to have each person under one system. Instead of concentrating on problems of insurance and other factors the doctors can concentrate on patients’ welfare (Woolhandler, Campbell & Himmelstein, 2003). Since the universal health care has covered all the Canadian citizens, it has ensured a reduction of administration expenses. It also enhances the allocation of the collected funds for the prevention of diseases and health care. As a result of the great health insurance provided, the European citizens are getting more productive healthcare (Ter Meulen, 2013). Canada and Europe are able to boast of the best health care amongst the most developed countries in the world. Therefore, people are given a chance to enjoy good health thereby enhancing their capability to work. This allows them to give much contribution to the nation’s economy hence more economic productivity. The universal health care raises the living standards of each individual in the society because the health care is accessible to all. Therefore nations should make sure that all the people are covered by the same health care in spite of the gender, age, income, social status, race, pre-existing conditions, or wealth.
The universal health care is essential for all citizens in each particular country since it ensures quality health care for all without discrimination. Health care is a basic need for all and for that case it can be regarded as a human right. Through it, many people can now get access to quality health care, which is the most essential in any given country. So far, the universal health care in Europe and Canada has really worked well with the citizens. It has enhanced a long-term solution in providing equal health care for each and every individual in spite of the age, gender, income or race. Actually the universal health care has really improved the living standards of people hence increased productivity in the nation of Canada in general.

References

Kringos, D., Boerma, W., Bourgueil, Y., Cartier, T., Dedeu, T., Hasvold, T., ... & Svab, I. (2013). The Strength of Primary Care in Europe: An International Comparative Study. Br J Gen Pract, 63(616), E742-E750.
Mossialos, E., Wenzl, M., Osborn, R., & Anderson, C. (2016). 2015 International Profiles of Health Care Systems. The Commonwealth Fund.
Rosella, L. C., Fitzpatrick, T., Wodchis, W. P., Calzavara, A., Manson, H., & Goel, V. (2014). High-Cost Health Care Users in Ontario, Canada: Demographic, Socio-Economic, and Health Status Characteristics. BMC Health Services Research, 14(1), 532.
Ter Meulen, R. (2013). Solidarity in Health and Social Care in Europe (Vol. 69). W. Arts, & R. Muffels (Eds.). Springer Science & Business Media.
Woolhandler, S., Campbell, T., & Himmelstein, D. U. (2003). Costs of Health Care Administration in the United States and Canada. New England Journal of Medicine, 349(8), 768-775.
World Health Organization. (2015). WHO Global Strategy on People-Centred and Integrated Health Services: Interim Report.