The
National Health Program (
NHP) is the government-run
healthcare system in the United States of America. It is the second-largest
single-payer healthcare system in the world after the Indian
Nationwide Health Care System. The program is funded by a percentage of all government tax income set by the annual federal budget approved by Congress. The program is under the purview of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
The system is generally considered on the more conservative end as far as universal health care programs go. It is generally compared (mostly favorably) to the Canadian system. The government provides full insurance coverage to all Americans and acts as chief negotiator for the purchase of medicine and medical equipment. Studies have shown that this dramatically lowers costs, as the buyer (the government) also has the power to revoke corporate licensing to produce medicine. This has resulted in a majority of conservatives supporting the program.
The system usually works in conjunction with private hospitals and clinics, where most Americans get medical care. The NHP does, however, operate over 200 full-service and 1,000 partial-service clinics nationwide, generally in areas with low population density. All American citizens and permanent residents get care free at the point of use, while others (including foreign nationals) have to pay for all but critical care, unless they have private supplemental insurance or are among countries that America has deals with regarding payment, such as the UK, Australia, Japan, Canada, India, Germany, Israel, France, and several others.
The program has faced criticism in the past over the requirement of an NHP ID Card, which while open to undocumented immigrants is generally not used due to fear of getting reported to ICE. Under President Biden, these requirements were removed for government-run clinics.
