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Convergence or Divergence? Reforming Primary Care in Norway and Britain
Author(s) -
LIAN OLAUG S.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
the milbank quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.563
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1468-0009
pISSN - 0887-378X
DOI - 10.1111/1468-0009.t01-2-00055
Subject(s) - convergence (economics) , divergence (linguistics) , health care , welfare , health technology , political science , developed country , economic growth , development economics , economics , sociology , law , population , linguistics , philosophy , demography
T he health care systems in most industrialized countries are being challenged. The challenges are similar because they are shaped by global trends such as decreasing economic growth, escalating costs, aging populations, advances in medical knowledge and technology, heightened expectations, and an increasing dependence on medicine to solve human problems. Together, these partly interrelated factors have brought the current demand for care to a point that it exceeds available resources. In response to these challenges, most countries have begun to change the way their health services are funded and organized. These developments have prompted an exploration of the degree of convergence in the health policies in Western welfare states. To what extent are health care systems becoming more alike? Is there a new paradigm by which health systems are being redefined and reformed? Is there a move away from divergence toward convergence? Many scholars answer yes to these questions.