Define Private Health Care

Private health care includes organizations offering health care services that are not run by a state or local government. These medical facilities operate separately, receiving most of their funding from those receiving care and their insurance providers. Many operate as nonprofit organizations, which means that the facility cannot produce a profit. All of the funds that it receives must go back into the business.

Types of Facilities

• Private health care facilities exist in a variety of organizations. Hospitals are generally government-owned, but a few private ones do exist. Private practitioners often include pediatricians, specialists, physicians and urgent care facilities. Urgent care venues resemble an emergency room of a hospital, but are only available for those seeking minor care. They offer no overnight care capabilities.

Advantages

• Private health care facilities are not subject to the strict regulatory requirements that the state or local governments impose. This provides them with greater opportunity for research or trial medications. The limits of the organization's budget are not as great either, since the funding comes the private consumer. Therefore, there are more options for medical treatment and procedures available to the patient. There is a greater choice of doctor and service provisions with private health care.

Disadvantages

• The disadvantages of private health care include the expense and the limited availability to those without insurance. Many private health care providers are specialists within a particular field. This may provide a benefit during treatment, but causes the patient to see several different physicians when they have different symptoms. This causes treatment to become more expensive. Government-run health care facilities receive help from the government many times, private medical facilities do not, usually making their services more expensive.

Health Insurance

• Without medical insurance, the costs of private health care can be very restrictive on a person seeking medical attention. It is important to purchase a private health insurance policy to help offset the costs of the medical treatment. For those with limited funds, high-deductible policies are available. Generally, a person need only cover the co-pay of a visit to a physician or speicialist. In the case of an emergency, the initial out-of-pocket expense is high, but the remainder is covered by the insurance.