ABSTRACT
In the United Kingdom, a larger proportion of healthcare spending is financed by the public sector than in Canada or Australia. In reality, there is a significant increased use of the private sector and private finance. Like the public healthcare insurance scheme of Australia, the National Health Service is financed mainly through central government general taxation together with an element of national insurance contributions made by employers and employees. Australia has a national system for the delivery of healthcare which generally covers all permanent residents of Australia. The system is financed largely by general taxes, a proportion of which is raised by an income-related Medicare levy. Finance is clearly a major driver in health policy. In reality, all healthcare systems are hybrids: they have a combination of public and private involvement in financing and delivering healthcare. A key issue in the financing of Canadian healthcare is the fee-for-service remuneration system for doctors.
