Strategic envy can be a force for change in both the U.K. and U.S. health systems, according to a commentary in New England Journal of Medicine.
The authors argue that each country's envy of the strengths of the other's health system can spark changes to emulate those strengths while rejecting their own and the other's weaknesses. The authors suggest strengths of the U.K. health system include a commitment to universal healthcare that drives greater value and community responsibility and a stoicism that enables people to make tough decisions that ultimately result in higher quality and lower cost. The U.K. health system's weaknesses include wait times and response to patients, according to the authors.
In contrast, the strengths of the U.S. health system, according to the authors, include the range of choices and competition that forces organizations to respond to patients' needs and innovate to succeed in the market, as well as optimism that encourages change. The U.S. health system's weaknesses include poor coverage and fragmentation.
By admitting each other's strengths and working to incorporate them while addressing weaknesses, both countries' health systems can achieve integrated, high-value care, the authors write.
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