Theoretical Approches to Citizenship in Relation to Healthcare Provision in Britain (Essay Sample)

THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO CITIZENSHIP AND WELFARE PROVISION CONCERNING HEALTHCARE IN BRITAIN
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THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO CITIZENSHIP AND WELFARE PROVISION CONCERNING HEALTHCARE IN BRITAIN
Introduction
Britain is among the most significant countries that care about the social welfare and healthcare status of their citizens all over the country. Healthcare in the U.K is provided to every citizen regardless of their social and financial status. Its coverage is accessible to every person, and the payment for the provided healthcare is paid through taxation (Boyle 2008). This means that every earning citizen in Britain has to pay 18% of the tax to cater to their health services, making up for around 4.5% of the average citizen's income. More specifically, almost 8.4% of Britain's GDP is spent on healthcare (Chang et al., 2011). In addition, the country has health care systems that are relatively lower compared to the public sector. The main reason for increasing public healthcare in Britain is to ensure that every citizen receives equitable health services regardless of their earnings.
The healthcare system in Britain is governed by a government-universal system referred to as National Health Service (NHS). A broad series of healthcare systems in the U.K. are covered through this system. This includes services from England, Wales, Scotland, and social and health care in Northern Ireland (Grosios, Gahan, and Burbidge 2010). Therefore, NHS entitles all citizens to acquire public health care from those areas without struggle. However, those who opt for private services can buy private health insurance. In other words, the primary purpose of the NHS in Britain is to promise robust information and care to all citizens and ensure that there are more hospital beds, nurses, doctors, and hospitals themselves (Hawe and Cockcroft 2011). In addition, it aims to reduce appointment waiting times, ensure that older people are provided with improved health care, and ensure that the NHS organizations meet and maintain high standards of services.
Background Information
According to Watt et al. (1994), the history of the U.K.'s health care system can be traced back to 1946 after the foundation of the NHS, which was responsible for the provision of healthcare services to all citizens in the U.K. Before the NHS was founded, healthcare could only be provided to the rich. The only way that people of the lower class could attain healthcare facilities is through charity or teaching hospitals. This aspect continued until 1911 when Davis Lloyd George came up with the National Insurance Act, which required a deduction of a small number of employees' earnings to allow them to acquire