Short answers, pulled from the story.
Health care is the improvement or maintenance of health through the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of disease, illness, injury, and physical and mental impairments. It encompasses medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, midwifery, optometry, audiology, psychology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and allied health fields, as well as public health and primary, secondary, and tertiary care.
The five primary funding methods are general taxation, social health insurance, voluntary or private health insurance, out-of-pocket payments, and donations to health charities. Most countries use a mix of all five, with the proportion varying by country and changing over time.
In 2011, the United States spent 17.7 percent of GDP on health care - roughly US$8,508 per capita - the highest among OECD members. Despite this, U.S. life expectancy was 78.7 years, ranking 26th out of 34 OECD countries. Switzerland, by comparison, spent about 11 percent of GDP and had the highest life expectancy at 82.8 years.
Smallpox was the first disease in human history eliminated by deliberate health care interventions. The World Health Organization declared its worldwide eradication in 1980.
The main barriers include financial limitations such as lack of insurance coverage, geographical and logistical obstacles such as transportation costs and inability to take paid time off work, sociocultural expectations, and personal limitations including poor health literacy and low income. These barriers negatively affect use of medical services, treatment efficacy, and overall health outcomes.
Primary care is the first point of consultation, covering a wide range of conditions across all ages and providing continuous, coordinated care. Secondary care involves acute treatment for serious short-term conditions, often in a hospital setting. Tertiary care is specialized care in referral hospitals equipped for advanced procedures such as neurosurgery, cardiac surgery, and severe burn treatment.