Health care
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'''Health care''' or '''healthcare''' is the prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the preservation of mental and physical well-being through the services offered by the medical and allied health professions http://www.answers.com/healthcare&r=67#copyright
The healthcare industry is one of the world's largest and fastest-growing industries, consuming over 10 percent of gross domestic product of most developed nations.
Prior to the popularisation of the neologism ''healthcare'', English-speakers referred to ''medicine'' or to the ''health sector'' and spoke of the treatment and prevention of illness and disease.
Healthcare as an industry
The industry includes the delivery of health services by physician|doctors and other allied health|allied health providers. Usually such services receive payment from the patient or from the patient's insurance company; although they may be government-financed (such as the National Health Service in the United Kingdom) or delivered by charity|charities or volunteers, particularly in poorer countries.
Health care can form an enormous part of a country's economy. In 2003, health care costs paid to hospitals, physician|doctors, nursing homes, diagnostic laboratories, pharmacy|pharmacies, medical device manufacturers and other components of the health care system, consumed 15.3 percent http://www.cms.hhs.gov/statistics/nhe/historical/highlights.aspof the GDP of the United States, the largest of any country in the world. In 2001, for the OECD countries the average was 8.4 percent http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/10/20/2789777.pdfwith the United States (13.9%), Switzerland (10.9%), and Germany (10.7%) being the top three.
Medical and social models of healthcare
The more generally accepted view of healthcare is that improvements result from advancements in medical science. The medical model of health focuses on the eradication of illness through diagnosis and effective treatment. In contrast the social model of health places emphasis on changes that can be made in society and in people's own lifestyles to make the population healthier. It defines illness from the point of view of the individual's functioning within their society rather than by monitoring for changes in biological or physiological signs.
''See also Medical model of disability, Social model of disability, Preventive medicine.''
See also
:category:Healthcare by country|Healthcare by country
Healthcare delivery
healthcare system|A politico-economic discussion on the delivery of health care. (healthcare system)
Primary health care
HIPAA|Recent American health care privacy rules. (HIPAA)
Medical informatics|Electronic health care information systems (Medical informatics)
National Health Service|National Health Service (UK).
External links
http://www.eldis.org/healthNew research and other resources on health in developing countries
USA-specific
http://www.nndb.com/lists/620/000098326/
http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9212/health.htm
http://www.ericdigests.org/1993/health.htm
http://www.ericdigests.org/1996-3/2000.htm
http://www.free-health-care.com http://www.best-home-remedies.com http://www.houstonmedcenter.comhttp://www.womens-health-club.com/
Reference
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