Health Care

Abstract

Sickness is a contingency against which people need to be protected. This protection should take two forms. The first is protection from the loss of income that occurs when people are unable to work because of ill-health. The second and arguably more important form of protection is through the availability of medical and hospital services that will alleviate the condition of the sick. Protection from income loss is provided through income maintenance policies discussed in the previous chapter – which pay out sickness and invalidity benefits. Protection, in terms of resto ration to health, takes the form of health care provision1 and the provision and finance of such care is the subject of this chapter.