This movie went around the world to different countries to show the comparisons and differences in healthcare compared to each other and the U. S. The first country that was visited was the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom spends 8. 3% of their GDP on healthcare. The citizens pay nothing for premiums, all of it is paid trough taxation. Some services require co-pay, but all young people and all elderly are exempt from drug co-pays. The United Kingdom calls their healthcare system “socialized medicine”; the government provides for and pays for all healthcare.
The taxes that Britons pay gets distributed up to different healthcare providers. Since the United Kingdoms’ system is taxed, administrative costs are low due to no bill collecting or any claims needing to be reviewed. The United Kingdom has ‘gatekeepers’, which is just a general practitioner, who patients must see first in order to see a specialist. Gatekeepers are paid extra for keeping their patients healthy. While there can still be long waits and limited choices, patients are now able to choose where they want to be treated. The second country that was visited was Japan.
Japan spends 8% of their GDP on healthcare. The citizens pay $280 per month for premiums, while their employers are paying more than half of that. The citizens pay 30% of all procedures and it is also based on income. Japan calls their healthcare system “social insurance”, which means that all citizens are required to have health insurance. They can have their health insurance through their work or they can purchase it through a community-based plan. If a citizen cannot afford the premiums, the government steps in and covers it for them. Japan has been known to have the best health statistics in the world.
Japan does not have any gatekeepers, the Japanese can go to anyone they want as often as they want. Every physician is to charge the same amount for any given procedure. This keeps costs low for everyone. Since Japan keeps their prices low, they have been known to spend too little on healthcare, which in turn means that the hospitals start to go into debt. Without gatekeepers, there is no way to check how often the Japanese are using their healthcare. The third country that was visited was Germany. Germany spends 10. 7% of its GDP on healthcare. The citizens pay $750 per month for premiums.
Citizens pay a co-pay of $15 every three months, with pregnant women being exempt. Germany also uses the “social insurance” model. The citizens are free to buy their own insurance from more than 200 private “sickness funds”. Also like Japan, if you are too poor to pay for your premiums, the government will pay them for you. “Sickness funds” cannot deny anyone based on preexisting conditions, they compete with each other for members, and they are paid based on the number of active patients. The sickness funds all bargain together with doctors to set the prices on procedures.
Germans do not have to see a gatekeeper first, but if they do, they might pay a higher co-pay. German doctors feel underpaid in this situation. Germany lets the richest citizens opt out of sickness funds to go more towards a U. S. based system. These patients are typically seen more quickly because the insurance companies are willing to pay the doctors more. The fourth country that was visited was Taiwan. Taiwan spends 6. 3% of its GDP on healthcare. The citizens pay $650 per year (for a family of four) on premiums. There are a lot more different co-payment options available for these citizens.
Taiwan calls their healthcare system “National Health Insurance”, after surveying other healthcare models. All citizens must have insurance, which is run by the government. Working people and their employers split the premiums. If you cannot afford the premiums the government will pay for you. The new healthcare system in Taiwan actually made it possible for the 40% of citizens that previously did not have insurance, to now being able to have it. Any patient can go and see whoever they want. Every citizen has a smart card which stores their personal medical history and is used to bill the national insurer.
Because of this smart card, Taiwan has the lowest administrative costs in the world. Unfortunately Taiwan is not bringing in enough money to support its healthcare services. 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. I really would much rather have one of these systems compared to the one that we have now.
Although I do have good insurance, I think some of these methods may be easier for most people. I could go to the doctor whenever and for whatever I needed, without worrying that I am going to spend all of my money before the year is up. I feel like we kind of have gatekeepers here in the U. S. ; typically I would go see my general practitioner before anyone else and see if he may suggest me to a specialist. While I can afford health insurance, I like the fact the government in some of these countries are willing to step up and pay for those who cannot. I think I would also like the part about everyone having a set price for procedures.
These makes it easier to see a doctor because you wouldn’t have to look around for different prices and you could see whoever you wanted whenever. The only part is that with the low costs, I do not want our medical services to begin to lack because we are not paying enough to keep them up. I think overall more U. S. citizens would be willing to go more towards these other countries’ approaches when they start to look at their economy and how it can actually benefit them. It also baffles me on how little the percentage is that these countries are spending on healthcare compared to the United States.