Health policy

Health policy

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This article is about policies, plans and strategies across the health care sector. For specific information on health insurance policies, see health insurance.

Health policy can be defined as the "decisions, plans, and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific health care goals within a society."^[1] According to the World Health Organization, an explicit health policy can achieve several things: it defines a vision for the future; it outlines priorities and the expected roles of different groups; and it builds consensus and informs people.^[1]
There are many categories of health policies, including personal health care policy, pharmaceutical policy, and policies related to public health such as vaccination policy, tobacco control policy or breastfeeding promotion policy. They may cover topics of financing and delivery of health care, access to care, quality of care, and health equity.^[2]
There are also many topics in the politics and evidence that can influence the decision of a government, private sector business or other group to adopt a specific policy. Evidence-based policy relies on the use of science and rigorous studies such as randomized controlled trials to identify programs and practices capable of improving policy relevant outcomes. Most political debates surround personal health care policies, especially those that seek to reform health care delivery, and can typically be categorized as either philosophical or economic. Philosophical debates center around questions about individual rights, ethics and government authority, while economic topics include how to maximize the efficiency of health care delivery and minimize costs.
The modern concept of health care involves access to medical professionals from various fields as well as medical technology, such as medications and surgical equipments. It also involves access to the latest information and evidence from research, including medical research and health services research.
In many countries it is left to the individual to gain access to health care goods and services by paying for them directly as out-of-pocket expenses, and to private sector players in the medical and pharmaceutical industries to develop research. Planning and production of health human resources is distributed among labour market participants.
Other countries have an explicit policy to ensure and support access for all of its citizens, to fund health research, and to plan for adequate numbers, distribution and quality of health workers to meet health care goals. Many governments around the world have established universal health care, which takes the burden of health care expenses off of private businesses or individuals through pooling of financial risk. There are a variety of arguments for and against universal health care and related health policies. Health care is an important part of health systems and therefore it often accounts for one of the largest areas of spending for both governments and individuals all over the world. For example, medical debt is now a leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the United States.^[3][4]