The Difference Between United States and Germany's Healthcare

The fifth country that was visited was Switzerland. Switzerland spends 11.6% of its GDP on healthcare. Citizens pay $750 a month for premiums. If you are too poor to pay for your premiums, the government will pay. Citizens pay 10% of the cost of services for a co-pay. Switzerland also used the “social insurance” model. 95% of the population already had voluntary insurance when they country switched systems. All citizens are required to have coverage. Switzerland shows that in a high capitalist nation with powerful insurance and pharmaceutical industries, universal coverage is possible. Insurance companies are not allowed to make a profit off of basic care and are not able to select only young and healthy applicants. The government sets the prices on drugs, but the insurers and providers negotiate on all other prices. Switzerland has the second most expensive system behind the U.S. The Swiss do not have gatekeepers, some insurance plans may require them or may give a discount for using them.

The United States’ Affordable Care Act (ACA), better known as “Obamacare,” has allowed millions of Americans access to health insurance, that were once unable. The Affordable Care Act has helped those who were unable to obtain health insurance due to pre-existing conditions, and those unable to afford the high costs of premiums and out of pocket expenses. While it has allowed millions to obtain health coverage, the ACA has its flaws. These flaws could be greatly improved by implementing ideas and strengths from universal healthcare plans from other countries around the world. I have chosen three countries who rank higher than the U.S. when it comes to their Health Care Systems- Germany, Norway, and Japan.

One of the most long-standing health care systems was originated in Germany in 1889 by Otto von Bismarck’s social legislation. Its included bills were the Health Insurance Bill 1883, Old Age and Disability Insurance Bill of 1889, and Accident Insurance Bill of 1883. The National Insurance Act of 1911 in Britain covered most people employed. It also financed dependents if families had contributed for at least five years. This coverage lasted whether families worked or not. This Act was amended in 1948 with the National Health Service revised the act to secure only legal residents to benefit from this plan. Many universal health care systems originated after the 2nd world war. During this period,

This program will be based on and influenced on various countries single-payer systems, but more importantly based on a proposed congressional bill named H. R. 676. Under such a program free health care will include things such as primary care and prevention, prescription drugs, emergency care, long-term care, mental health services, vision care, and many more. All individuals living within the country and its territories would be covered under this program. Just like how our Medicare system works today, individuals will each be given a card that hosts their Medicare claim

An alternative lies in the Bismarck model of healthcare. In this system, employers and employees jointly finance insurance through payroll deductions (PNHP, 2010). In contrast to the U.S. insurance industry, insurance plans in this model do not make a profit but must include all citizens. This option may provide a better choice for the U.S. because doctors and hospitals remain private and people still have the freedom to choose their own plans (Wallace, 2013). According to Michael Borowitz, a senior health policy analyst at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris, “What makes it most interesting from a U.S. perspective is that it uses private insurers, [instead of Medicaid and Medicare] the public insurance is actually covered through private insurance, thorough the government regulating private insurers” (PBS, 2009). This model is what the United States should emulate in the future to ensure the better health of a nation. The system in the Netherlands provides a success story of Bismarck system implementation.

The united states of America need to change its healthcare policies and procedures and to adopt from other countries their successful healthcare systems. There are at least 36 other countries that have better health systems other than the united states of America. The capitalistic characteristics of the American healthcare system might affect the public of the nation dramatically when money is the real and only mean of judgment and measurement a determination of how to cure its citizens. The problems the citizens face with the healthcare system of America can be solved by adopting with proper adjustments that best suit the political views of the United States of America. There are many examples like for example; Canada, The UK, France, and

The United States of America is the only major country that does not offer healthcare coverage as a right of citizenship. Most established (advanced) countries have a universal healthcare program, which means accessibility to every citizen. It is a system usually operates by the federal government, it has social rules and regulations and is financed through different new taxations. This issue had been discussed for years- during the Depression and World War II the United States had no funds to implement the universal healthcare. As an outcome, a privet division was established that did not provide healthcare to all the citizens. However, the government’s role of providing healthcare insurance developed as a regulatory form to ensure that the elderly and poor were able to receive healthcare.

Health care can be an overwhelming and complex system. There are many differences within health care systems across the world. For my research I decided to compare the systems in Germany and the United States. Although there are many similarities amongst the two, there are also many differences. This research gives insight as to what each individual system is like, and what is involved in keeping it functioning.

For the working class under sixty-five the US uses a Bismarck system where there are private insurances that individuals purchase to cover care (if they can purchase it). For the over sixty-five population the government covers most of the cost of healthcare thus a national health insurance model is followed. For Native Americans and military veterans the US uses the Beveridge system where providers are public and government owned and individuals do not receive any bills of any kind. Lastly, for the uninsured (currently about twenty-three million) individuals are forced to buy for all services out of pocket and thus cause significant financial burden and in many cases bankruptcy (Reid 20). Ultimately, with these varying methods combined with the countless payers present in the multi-payer system has crated incredible complexity that needs to be lessened in order to curb rising medical cost.

The only part of Germany’s Bismarck model that I disagree with is that high income earners have to pay more for the price of insurance. There seems to be a bit of discrimination between upper and lower class based on this rule. Just because a family is rich, doesn’t mean that they don’t need insurance coverage. In my opinion, insurance should be the same price no matter what your class may be. Also, the German model should not assume that the rich can afford health insurance. I think that everyone should be required to have the opportunity to be given insurance.

This paper will discuss the comparison between the U.S. healthcare system with the healthcare system of Germany. It will compare access between the two healthcare systems for children, people who are unemployed, and for people who are retired. The coverage for medications in the two healthcare systems will be reviewed and the coverage of preexisting conditions will also be discussed.

Germany was the first country in the world to legislate health insurance as compulsory for all. The nation has a contribution-based social insurance model (Doring & Paul, 2010). According to Bodenheimer and Grumbach, Germany and “its pioneering law of 1883 required certain employers and employees to make payments to existing voluntary sickness funds” (2012, p. 169). The sickness funds would compensate for the covered employees medical care. Germany provides statutory health insurance (SHI) to about 90% of its population and private health

Germany’s health insurance has much more advantages because there are no differences in the insurance. Every expecting mother has the same coverage and check up at the start of the pregnancy. To illustrate the issue being presented, I am going to list all resources available and the differences when having a baby between Germany and the United States.

Germany and Japan have based their healthcare systems on the Bismarck model which was founded by Otto von Bismarck who introduced it to Germany nearly 125 years ago (Wallace, 2013). Bismarck viewed the concept of universal health insurance as an effective strategy in his scheme for German unification. This model utilizes an insurance system which is usually funded jointly by

To show how Bismarck is a 'mixed ' model, and how they differ from the United States, in ways of funding, such as funding through a premium financed social insurance system with a mixture of public and private providers (Joffe & Wiedmann, 1999). Overall the author’s purpose of this article is to point out the differences between the United States Health care system and other nations.