Product Overview

What does “universal health care coverage” mean? Is it the same all over the world? Universal health care systems have the benefit of ensuring access to some services with a degree of financial protection for most citizens within a country. However, every system has tradeoffs, and these tradeoffs have different consequences for people experiencing a health crisis such as cancer. A leading cause of death worldwide, cancer has created a large “marketplace” for cancer care and cancer care products and services (drugs, new treatments, etc.). Marketplace factors, such as access and pricing, impact care regardless of the type of coverage an individual has. The A case includes scenarios set in China, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States; these highlight some of the challenges for patients as they navigate their own cancer treatment options. This B case provides an epilogue to the scenario set in China. An associated handout offers more details on the health systems of the countries in the scenarios. This case set works well in a module covering the US health system, health insurance, and global health systems.