Healthcare is an essential aspect of the society as it defines the productivity of the community and the country as a whole. The composition of a healthcare system and the ease of flow of activities creates the impression of how committed a government of a state is to its people. In this paper, we will look at the healthcare system of Spain and compare it to that of the United States. Healthcare system in Spain is entirely controlled by the Spanish National Health Service. Through hospitals and health centers spread across the country, the National Health System provides the primary health care services to family and GP services, which includes nursing as well as pediatrics. For the residents who have European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), have easy access the health services (Gallo & Gené-Badia, 2013). This card can cover any treatment needed by these residents, though; medical conditions that are not required immediate attention might incur some charges. A Spanish healthcare system, for the facts listed above, is rated among the best in the world because it guarantees universal coverage and no upfront expenditure from patients ( Regidor et al., 2013) . Also, it gets the high ranking because its government spends 10% percent of its gross domestic product on healthcare. Spain's ranking in the European Union is sixth. The United States and Spain have many differences and similarities in their healthcare systems.
Firstly, most care in the Spain is provided by the government while in the United States the care is offered by the many privately owned companies. In other words, more money is spent in the United States during the provision of the care needed. In Spain, there is only one healthcare system which is run by the government, and it provides care to children until they are 21 years old and in the parents’ house (Gallo & Gené-Badia, 2013). As stated earlier, the Spanish healthcare provides free healthcare services which are needed immediately. On the other hand, the US system is such that when an individual gets ill, they are supposed to pay for their treatment. This is because the United States government funds two kinds of health plans which are Medicare and Medicaid, (Obama, 2016). These kinds of health models are meant to give health care services to the poor, elderly and the young. As a result, unlike in Spain, many American residents’ healthcare needs are paid by their employers.
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While in Spain there is the national health care system which advocates for European Healthcare Insurance Card EHIC, the healthcare system in the United States is unique in its own way. This because, unlike the Spanish healthcare system that is controlled by the government, the United States health care system is a hybrid system (Obama, 2016) as it pertains both the government and private sector. The Spanish model offers private insurance where there is no restriction on citizenship. Although there is less than 20 percent of the Spain residents who pay for this private insurance, the national healthcare system also offers private insurance (Gallo & Gené-Badia, 2013). This is because most of these individuals may need additional prescriptions and exclusive coverage. Most of the health centers in Spain provide both public and private plan, and almost 10% of the residents pay extra to be treated using the latter. Although private health cases are less in Spain, in the United States health care is provided by separate organizations. Health facilities are primarily owned and run by the private agencies who also offer insurance covers.
In Spain, the system is such that during an emergency, both the residents and the foreigners are given the right to be tended (Bosch, 2015). This means that in case of urgent health requirement, they are allowed to access treatment in Spanish hospitals no matter the insurance coverage. This is because many of the people in have SNS coverage or private insurance which already cover them up and they, therefore, do not wait for long to get the service required. In the United States, the national healthcare system allows their residents to access urgent treatment during emergencies although at a fee (Shi & Singh, 2014). This is different from the Spanish healthcare system which offers these services free of charge. For non-urgent hospital visits, healthcare systems in these two countries advocate for individuals to get a referral from the doctors before any access to any hospital service (Obama, 2016). The only difference in these two nations is that in the United States, private hospitals charge a fee while in Spain many are covered by SNS, and there are low-cost for those who are not included. Treatment services are also chargeable in private hospitals in Spain where the insurance does not match up.
Although there are many differences in these two nations’ healthcare systems, they also have similarities. One of the common things in these nations health care is that there are medical specialists in all their centers, (Obama, 2016). This means that, despite the coverage, both Spanish and United States hospitals have a team of specialists including doctors, social workers, psychologists and others that individuals can access. These specialists have a common language in urban areas, and in case there is a language barrier, both nations healthcare system advocate for an interpreter.
In both the healthcare systems there is the possibility of providing temporary health insurance for tourists (Gallo & Gené-Badia, 2013). For example, through the European health insurance, a visitor in Spain can access the necessary state-provided healthcare at a low cost and sometimes the services are free. The EHIC can cover an individual who has stayed in Spain for more than three months. The same case is seen in the United States where through the healthcare systems, visitors and tourists can access medical services in the private and public hospitals at a fee (Shi & Singh, 2014).
In conclusion, although Spain provides need low-cost and free immediate health care services, the United States, through its distinguished healthcare providers, has been able to provide excellent services to its citizens. One of the differences between healthcare systems in these two nations is on how the system works and the cost of services. In Spain, there are both private and SNS insurance while in the United States, the government only offers health care services to the poor, elderly and the young. Conclusively, every nation has its own health systems which help in the provision of services to its citizens as well as visitors.
References
Bosch, X. (2015). Reforming Spanish health care: a matter of survival: Health Policy , 119 (1), 107-110.
Gallo, P., & Gené-Badia, J. (2013). Cuts drive health system reforms in Spain. Health Policy , 113 (1), 1-7.
Obama, B. (2016). United States health care reform: progress to date and next steps. Jama , 316 (5), 525-532.
Regidor, E., Barrio, G., Bravo, M. J., & de la Fuente, L. (2013). Has health in Spain been declining since the economic crisis?. J Epidemiology Community Health, jech-2013.
Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2014). Delivering health care in America : Jones & Bartlett Learning.
