Health Systems

<jats:p>This book presents examples of solutions used in selected highly developed countries of Western Europe, in addition to the USA in the organization and financing of health systems. Selecting the countries discussed in the monograph was not an easy task. The authors first selected those countries that implemented quite characteristic solutions, becoming, in a way, precursors of model health system solutions implemented in many other countries, taking into account their historical and political conditions. The examples include Germany or Great Britain. The French system is a kind of complement to them, as a different variant of the insurance system with a centralized management model. It should be mentioned that the healthcare system in France has been highly rated for many years both in international rankings as well as by citizens and employees of this sector. The premise for presenting the American healthcare system was the fact that it is unique on a global scale in terms of its organization and financing, starting from the fact that there is no constitutional provision on universal and mandatory access to medical care. Many solutions are controversial both in American society and in the opinions of international experts. It should be mentioned that this system is at the forefront in the world in terms of expenditure and access to the latest technologies, and at the same time a significant part of US citizens does not have access to universal healthcare. The authors of the monograph express the belief that the presented many years of experience in the process of organizing and improving the functioning of health systems in selected countries will provide both knowledge in this area and inspiration for comparisons in relation to the functioning of the healthcare system in our country, in the context of already implemented and planned reforms. The analysis of these experiences provides various conclusions regarding the successes and failures of the employed solutions and the challenges that will face health systems in the coming decades. We hope that our study will also contribute to improving the teaching process. /From the Introduction/</jats:p>