The Hong Kong government has recently suffered an angry reaction from the insurance industry in response to its proposed standardised medical insurance plan. Insurers argue that the government has backed down, in this new move, from regulating the costs of private hospitals. Under the new Health Protection…

When Barack Obama was re-elected to the White House this November, America was reminded that not only is Obama the first African-American to preside in the Oval Office, he is the first president to make health care a primary component of his presidential legacy. Obama's re-election will certainly have important and lasting effects on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as…

The insurance industry seems to be going through a lull. Things are quiet, with few major news events, no major catastrophes rocking the industry and a general sense of calm. How much of this is merely the swimming duck effect, with the appearance of calm on the surface, but energetic kicking happening under the water remains to be seen - but there is certainly a lot going on behind closed doors. In…

China announced last week that they plan to increase healthcare spending to more than USD 1 trillion by 2020. This is a lot of money, but a closer look at the current state of public health in China and the obstacles to further improvement, will help shed some light on this announcement. We recently posted an article covering the state of China's health services, the "successfully completed"…

During his inaugural speech of the 6th FICCI HEAL (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry - Health Enterprise and Learning) 2012 annual international conference in Delhi this week, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee noted that there is a "high variance" in the quality of service available in public and private sector hospitals, and that the country's healthcare system should be…

The International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) recently published a consultation paper titled, "Assessment Methodology for the Identification of Global Systemically Important Insurers". In the paper, the IAIS proposed criteria which will be used to classify insurers as "global systemically important" and invited public comment until 31 July 2012.  The paper was endorsed for consultation…

There continues to be continued uncertainty over whether, as well as how, China is going to include foreign workers in the nation's social security scheme, with only 3 cities so far, including the nation's capital, having committed themselves to registering and taxing foreign employees. The inclusion of foreigners in China's social security taxation structure is part of

In the midst of enacting QIPP (Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention) policies, Britain's National Health Service is en route to save £5.9 billion (US$ 9.23 billion) for the 2011-2012 financial year at the same time as some are protesting the effects that the cost-cutting measures will have on vulnerable members of society, and their levels of healthcare. Britain's government has been…

In a move sure to reignite debate over upcoming US health system changes, The American Medical Association (AMA) on Monday publically reaffirmed its support for the individual mandate, the most contentious provision of the Obama Administration's Healthcare Reform Law. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) nearly…

Speaking last week at the All-Russian Forum of Medical Workers, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin addressed the country's continued health care problems and outlined the substantial investments required in the health system to improve outcomes. The crisis in Russia's healthcare system has been a persistent problem for many years. Despite an elaborate hospital network and an ample staff of trained…