Designing a World-Class Health Care System

Abstract

Abstract Public health systems are finding it increasingly difficult to fund all the health care that their citizens want and need. Fiscal constraint is causing many nations to reconsider the respective roles of their public programs and private health insurance. The author examines the potential for and performance of health systems around the world and the advantages and disadvantages of public and private health financing. This analysis leads to the development of a framework for improvements in today’s mix of health care financing and to high-level principles for a better-coordinated relationship between public and private programs. The role of health actuaries in moving toward more effective health systems is then explored.