In this article, we will discuss HOPS Framework and Universal Health Care. So, let’s get started.
HOPS Framework and Universal Health Care
- About: It is possible to envisage a framework for UHC that would build primarily on health care as a public service. The framework might be called “Healthcare As An Optional Public Service” (HOPS).
- Under HOPS, everyone would have a legal right to receive free, quality health care in a public institution if they wish. It would not prevent anyone from seeking health care from the private sector at their own expense.
- But the public sector would guarantee decent health services to everyone as a matter of right, free of cost.
- Example: Some Indian States are already doing so, such as in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, most illnesses can be satisfactorily treated in the public sector at little cost to the patient.
- Significance: If quality health care is available for free in the public sector, most patients will have little reason to go to the private sector.
- Social insurance could also play a role in this framework by helping cover procedures that are not easily available in the public sector (e.g., high-end surgeries).
- Although HOPS would not be as egalitarian as the national health insurance model initially, it would still be a big step toward UHC.
- Moreover, it will become more egalitarian over time, as the public sector provides a growing range of health services.
