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The Beveridge model aims to provide health care through the state, funded by taxation. The model is often characterised by the belief that health care is a right, not a privilege. Examples of the implementation of the model frequently strive to ensure equal access to medical attention regardless of ability to pay.
Although the Beveridge model is put into place differently in different countries generally most hospitals are nationalised but still some private hospitals operate. Doctors, nurses and hospital staff are also often employed by the government however again staff can also be privately hired.
Who was Beveridge?
William Henry Beveridge was a British social reformer credited for establishing the grounds for the National Health Service, which revolutionised heath care in Britain by providing free medical treatment for all. [Click here to find out more about the NHS]
Beveridge was a Liberal politician who came to prominence in the party between 1906 and 1914 when the then Liberal government began implementing at the time revolutionary but also controversial welfare reforms.
Following World War 1, in 1919 he became the director of the London School of Economics and remained so until 1937.
The Beveridge Report
Being a highly regarded economist, in 1941 Beveridge was put in charge of a government commissioned report detailing how Britain should be rebuilt after World War 2.
Published in 1942, the Beveridge report became the blueprint for the British welfare state. Following the first general election after World War 2, the Labour party were voted in and the new prime minister, Clement Attlee, set about introducing a series of reforms including the establishment of the National Health Service in 1948, where for the first time health care services were provided free at the point of delivery.
Which countries apply this model?
The Beveridge model is currently implemented in these countries: Britain, Cuba, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Norway, Spain and Sweden. Hong Kong also still employs the Beveridge model, which was originally introduced under British colonial rule and is a different health care system to the out-of-pocket model found on Mainland China.
References:
- BBC, William Beveridge (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/beveridge_william.shtml)
- PNHP, Health Care Systems (http://www.pnhp.org/single_payer_resources/health_care_systems_four_basic_models.php)
- The National Archives, The welfare state (http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/citizenship/brave_new_world/welfare.htm)
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Emilia Chen, Oxford
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