An Update on UK Health Insurance - NHS of Great Britain
National Health Service (NHS)
National Health Service (NHS) of Great Britain was established more than 50 years ago. It is a publicly funded healthcare system with a vision to provide equal treatment to all citizens without discrimination on age, sex, color, occupation or the ability to pay. This vision is a strong defining element of NHS. As per its charter, each and every citizen of Great Britain is eligible to have access to medical services irrespective of their financial status. In short, basic medical services are guaranteed to all residents of the UK.Besides the NHS, private health insurance is also available to the citizens. One can also fully opt for a private health insurance, if they so wish.
NHS is not strictly an insurance system. The reasons are enlisted below:
- There are no collections of Premiums.
- No expenses incurred towards basic healthcare treatments are collected from the patients. Costs incurred on medical treatment are not pre-paid or shared from a pool.
- The main aim of insurance is achieved by spreading of financial risks arising from ill-health.
- The costs of running the NHS are met directly from general taxation levied on the general public.
The NHS comprises of the following departments which are directly under its control namely:
- Department of Health
- Family health services
- Modernization Agency
- NHS direct
- National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE)
- Primary Care Trusts (PCTs)
- Strategic Health Authorities
- Special Health Authorities
- Secondary Care Trusts
- Walk-in Centres
Reference:
- Health insurance - (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_insurance)
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Dr. Sameer Sippy. (2019, January 04). An Update on UK Health Insurance - National Health Service (NHS). Medindia. Retrieved on May 16, 2024 from https://www.medindia.net/health/insurance/an-update-on-uk-health-insurance-nhs-great-britain.htm.
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Dr. Sameer Sippy. "An Update on UK Health Insurance - National Health Service (NHS)". Medindia. May 16, 2024. <https://www.medindia.net/health/insurance/an-update-on-uk-health-insurance-nhs-great-britain.htm>.
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Dr. Sameer Sippy. "An Update on UK Health Insurance - National Health Service (NHS)". Medindia. https://www.medindia.net/health/insurance/an-update-on-uk-health-insurance-nhs-great-britain.htm. (accessed May 16, 2024).
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Dr. Sameer Sippy. 2019. An Update on UK Health Insurance - National Health Service (NHS). Medindia, viewed May 16, 2024, https://www.medindia.net/health/insurance/an-update-on-uk-health-insurance-nhs-great-britain.htm.