Lessons from Abroad on Access to Healthcare for Vulnerable Populations

My presentation highlights valuable cross-national learning opportunities in healthcare policy from Germany and the United Kingdom that can provide insight for the U.S. in terms of improving access to healthcare for vulnerable... [ view full abstract ]

My presentation highlights valuable cross-national learning opportunities in healthcare policy from Germany and the United Kingdom that can provide insight for the U.S. in terms of improving access to healthcare for vulnerable populations. While these countries possess distinct differences in political economies and healthcare system structures, I argue that lesson drawing is a worthwhile pursuit, regardless of whether aspects of the political, social, and economic context may vary among countries being compared. Using ground rules for comparative studies by Kieke, Okma, and Marmor (2013), I demonstrate that learning from other countries is indeed valuable because examples of other countries’ successes and failures can serve as illustrations of what can be done better in the U.S.

More specifically, I selected Germany and the United Kingdom as case studies because these countries have identified vulnerable populations with similar access to healthcare barriers as the ones found in the U.S. and have implemented innovative and targeted interventions to address such barriers. My in-depth analyses of these healthcare systems and key provisions of care shows that one key take-away from these case studies is that the ability to successfully integrate vulnerable populations into a mainstream healthcare delivery model is closely linked to the underlying principles of their healthcare systems. Strong social solidarity and commitment from government are the key elements necessary to achieve better health and healthcare access outcomes. Nevertheless, trying to adapt lessons like these in the U.S. context will be challenging at best due to the “belwildering complex of service and insurance inequalities”, which make it much more difficult to address the barriers faced by vulnerable populations in accessing healthcare as compared to the United Kingdom’s more centralized and coordinated healthcare system (Light, Portes, & Fernandez-Kelly, 2009b). I will also discuss what can be done to enact change.