Do international standards require that the financing mechanism be public or private?
No. International law takes no position on what type of financing mechanism is used. It only requires that the system meet accessibility, availability, quality and appropriateness guidelines in order to make everyone as healthy as possible. (Please note that under international law, health care is considered a right, not a privilege — like the right to free speech). The other industrialized countries which have all satisfied the right to health care have used a range of financing mechanisms. For example: Canada – public, single payor; England – public single payor plus private insurance option; Germany – private insurance, regulated by the gov’t. – like utilities in the US ; Japan – mixed public and private insurance.
