Below are 2 discussion posts I’d like you to respond to.Both posts dicuss the U.S Healthcare system VS another country. Elaborate more on these topics. Cite your sources.

Post #1

There are quite a few characteristics of the United States health care system. Some of those include different payment, insurance and delivery systems, and unequal access to individuals across the U.S (Wahi, 2014). The U.S and Germany’s health care delivery systems vary in the fact that Germany’s health care is based on the concept of social insurance and social solidarity (Ridic et al., 2012).

Germany’s government is responsible for providing its citizens with insurance coverages. They provide a large variety of health benefits including medical care, elderly pensions, unemployment coverage, payments for the disabled, maternity care and coverage, and more. Citizen’s premiums are contingent on their income, and not their age or the amount of dependents they claim. Their insurance also pays the costs directly to the provider who is implementing the care to the individual (Ridic et al., 2012).

Some challenges in the U.S for individuals with, or seeking, insurance coverage is pre-existing and genetic health conditions, age, income, and costs and expenses. Some benefits in the U.S for obtaining health insurance is preventative care and insurance covering large percentages of the bill at hospitals and other facilities or providers.

German citizens receive the benefit of having their government provide them with health insurance even if they are unemployed. They also provide a comprehensive set of benefits. Their disadvantages include some individuals being ineligible for coverage and leading to them having to pay out of pocket for services. Their health care system can also cause inequity for their individuals (American Institute for Contemporary German Studies, 2017).

Post #2

For week five discussion, I chose to compare the U.S. healthcare system with that of Japans. The healthcare services between the two countries differ greatly. While the quality of service is high in America, healthcare is not accessible to all. Whereas in Japan, healthcare is delivered through a universal model to all its citizens.

According to the text, two distinct characteristics of health care in the United States are high costs of care and primary care providers PCP’s) as gatekeepers to specialized services (Shi & Singh, 2015). Health coverage is for the most part private, and regulated by insurance companies. Health care utilization is controlled through a primary care provider who refers a patient to a specialist, instead of giving them unlimited access. Healthcare in America is advanced because of technologies and research (Cooper &Taylor, 2004). Unfortunately, not everyone is able to take advantage of the advancements due to the inflating prices of insurance.

On the contrary, Japan’s government provides universal care to the citizens, which is paid for through taxes and sets stern limits on the cost of healthcare. With low prices, all citizens have access, with the drawback of over utilizing the services by up to three times than Americans (Tsuda, Aoyama &Froom, 1994). However, the cost of insurance remains low despite the government having to compensate for the over utilization of healthcare.

While American healthcare is expensive, an average Japanese family pays less that $300 a month for coverage (Reid, 2008). The Japanese government firmly believes in social justice and that being healthy is a right, not a privilege. Whereas, in America the insurance companies are a large profit industry. There are no regulations and unseemingly expensive for many people (Shi &Singh, 2015).

Since Americans realize the extensive costs of healthcare, they are more mindful of the number of times they seek treatment. Which is why the current trend in America has been primarily focused on prevention instead of treatment. Japanese healthcare system has no gatekeeping in place (Reid, 2008). Which is why the usage is high, raising health care expenditures. Lack of preventative treatment, which is seen in the American system, causes lengthy hospital stays for a patient.

While Japanese healthcare system seems nearly flawless, it could benefit from adapting American policy of checks and balance system, where they limit the number of visits, and raise more awareness for prevention. Apart from this little drawback, Japanese citizens seem to far more healthier than the American population, due to lifestyle choices. Life expectancy at birth is five years more than that of Americans (World Health Organization, 2015). This statistic affirms my idea of universal healthcare system being very effective, as far as it is not abused.

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