Analysis Of The Two-Tier Health Care System

1996 Words4 Pages

I agree with Heath’s argument that a two-tier health care system is effective as long as it does not undermine the integrity of the public insurance mechanism. The main argument against the two-tier health care system is that doctors will turn away from the public sector to pursue a higher income within a private practice. The concern arises that this will cause a scarcity of doctors within the public sector. I believe this argument is invalid and will discuss throughout this paper why the two-tier system improves upon health care systems in many ways. Heath believes that the two-tier health care system, a system already in place, is beneficial as long as it stays within its boundaries and does not undermine the public insurance system. While …show more content…

A positive aspect of this mechanism is that it adds in a middle man, controlling and regulating insurance, minimizing risks of adverse selection for both the insurance company and the customer. When insurance is distributed by private companies, adverse selection occurs and companies refuse insurance to high risk groups and institute costly underwriting practices to others (Heath, 123). In addition to preventing adverse selection, this insurance mechanism provides all individuals with the basics of care. As of 2011, it was reported that 100% of the Canadian population was covered under the public health insurance (Nationmaster). Unfortunately, the public insurance mechanism has …show more content…

While the concern of harmful queue-jumping exists by people paying their way to the front of the line, the second-tier allows the people to use their money to leave the queue completely and seek out their own choice of care. This creates an efficiency gain as the individuals who remain in the original line can move forward in place of those who left the line to enter the second tier. Along with the benefit of the efficiency gain, new jobs and opportunities are created as new firms are opened. As private practices are opened, jobs become available on a variety of levels such as maintenance, internships, administration and health professionals. These practices even allow for students to gain experience in smaller medical environments. Support staff are extremely important when running a busy practice and as a result, private practices hire many individuals to fill employee, associate and partner positions to help the practice run smoothly (PPA, 1998). The second-tier uses the faults of the public insurance mechanism to create a new system of opportunities and efficiency, benefitting the overall health care and all

Open Document