Finland Healthcare System versus United States System - Term Paper Example

The American health care reform has been regarded as a great stride towards fixing the country’s 2.8 trillion dollar American healthcare industry. Finland has an effective and highly decentralized three-level public health care program alongside a smaller private health-care industry. This essay will compare and contrast the Finish and American healthcare systems. America lacks a universal healthcare system. In the country, the role of the federal government in healthcare delivery is complex, and commences to evolve (Patel &Rushefsky, 2014).

Health insurance coverage is highly fragmented, with many public and private sources as well as extensive gaps in coverage rates across the American population (National Healthcare Quality Report and National Healthcare Disparities Report, 2012). The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services provides the Medicare program (a central program for those of age 65 and older, a few of the disabled, as well as those with end-stage renal ailments (Patel &Rushefsky, 2014). The unit works in collaboration with state governments to direct Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (combined state-federal programs for particular low-income residents).

Private insurance is moderated at the state level, but gener­ally is permitted wide discretion in creating benefit packages (Patel &Rushefsky, 2014). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Actof 2010 was signed into law and it is meant to increase insurance coverage to legal inhabitants by 2014. The act provides for federally delegated health insurance to be executed in America with the Federal government subsidizing legitimate resident households with revenues up to 400% of the Government poverty level.

In comparison, the population of Finland was about 5.6 million in 2013. A universal right to healthcare and social welfare services characterizes the country’s