The Push for Reprivatization of Health Care Services in Canada, Britain, and the United States

Progress towards the equity objective in health has been seriously threatened in recent years by attempts to halt or reverse the direction of postwar policy and reprivatize the health care systems of Canada, Britain, and the United States. This article examines the individuals and groups who advocate reprivatization, analyzes the major concepts involved, and discusses the possible causes of the push for reprivatization. A detailed examination of policy outputs and their likely consequences leads to the conclusion that the push for reprivatization will exacerbate the problems, and that governments would be better advised to pursue policies that would restructure and redesign the supply side of their health systems.