The types of health care people can get and how they receive that care play a big part in their health and well-being. People are affected by decisions made about their health care by private insurance companies and government payers, such as Medicare in the United States or national health services across Europe.

Decisions on whether to reimburse for a certain medicine or a particular procedure can have a real impact on you or a loved one. People respond differently to various medicines and medical procedures, so reimbursement for a greater choice of treatments helps doctors tailor affordable therapy to each person’s unique needs.

While public or private payers play an important and growing role in health care decision making, you and your doctor should have the primary role in deciding on your care.

The Promise of Health Care
We believe good health care can have a significant positive impact on people’s lives and we’ve set forth our thinking about what it takes to deliver good care in a short document called The Promise of Health Care. No matter how health care is delivered or who pays for it, the best and most compassionate health care systems are centered on the individual and offer access to some form of health care coverage for all. They also provide people with information, support, incentives and encouragement to remain healthy, get early diagnoses, and receive quality care and treatment when it’s needed.
The Promise of Health Care

Health Care Delivered in Different Ways
While no two countries have exactly the same health care system, most have some elements of government-financed care and market-based health care, with the mix of these different approaches varying by countries. Some health care systems are almost entirely government-run, while others, such as the U.S., are largely market-based.

Local cultures and values often play a role in how different health care systems balance the demand for health care with cost, access, choice, quality, and medical advances. No country, or health care system, has unlimited resources. Budget pressures and staffing shortages force societies to make trade-offs, as they attempt to provide the best care to the most people for the least cost.

We believe the most effective and compassionate health care systems combine health care that’s privately paid through insurance companies with care that’s publicly financed through taxes. The combination of public and privately financed health care has the best chance of providing: access for everyone, a broad array of high-quality, advanced treatments so people can get the care that’s best for them, and low costs for payers.

Learn more about the different ways health care systems are financed and the steps they take to manage costs:
Financing Health Care

Millions of people around the world don’t have health insurance. Read about the challenges they face:
The Uninsured

Learn what contributes to rises in health care spending:
What Drives Health Care Spending