A European Flavour For Medicare; Learning from experiments in Switzerland and Sweden

Introduction

Nearly every developed nation employs a series of policies intended to achieve universal coverage for health care insurance for its population. While the overarching aim of universal health insurance is common among developed nations, the policies guiding its achievement vary considerably. At one end of the spectrum, government is intimately involved in both the financing and delivery of universally accessible health care while the private sector’s role is limited. At the other end of the spectrum, government focuses on a regulatory approach while playing a relatively smaller role in the operation of the health care system. Most others fall in between.