Public Long Term Care Insurance Of Germany, Japan, And The United States

The United States’ health care system in comparison to the Germany health system seems to be fairly similar in many ways; however there are some major differences. One seems to be divided into public and private sectors and funded mostly by the public; Germany's, is considered better at times which tends to run differently. In the two healthcare systems, both systems are taking the time to spend quite a bit of the governmental revenue on health but still have two of the lower life expectancies. The United States faces severe challenges in access to health care, cost effectiveness, equity, and to a lesser extent in coordinating care. Meanwhile, the German system is confronted by problems in coordinating care and controlling costs.

More and more people with medical insurance are relying on the health care system as new technologies and treatments become available. This leads to a grater number of claims for payment by insurance companies, the costs of which are passed back to health care consumers. The baby-boom generation is entering its peak health-care using period. Over eighty million Americans will turn 50 in the next 10 years. The cost of providing heath care for these individuals will be staggering

The baby-boomer generation is aging and adding more beneficiaries’ at an increasing rate than ever before and is estimated to impact the federal deficit by over 17% by 2020. Many other countries have National Healthcare that provides better care at a much lower cost. Medicare was the motivation for a universal healthcare plan and a program for the U.S. could have a positive impact. (Starr, 2011).

Different countries have different health systems. Japan uses a Bismarck model. In general these models are highly regulated and part of their ideal is that they provide insurance to its entire population. If we look at the United States of America, their model more difficult because it is nearly a free market system that encompasses many different health system models. We will compare several points in each of these country’s systems.

As some people were skeptical about the basis for the ranking, several studies were conducted, this time including “amenable mortality” in the criteria. France was first in the ranking. One good thing about France’s health care system is that everyone has health care. The country is also reported to rely on private and government insurance. Unlike the United States, France lets its citizens to have freedom in choosing hospitals, doctors, and care. Additionally, the health care system does not put much constrain on doctors with regards to making medical decisions. The same situation is evident on German health care system, where everyone has fully portable health insurance which comes with package of benefits. Like France, Germany lets its patients have freedom in choosing doctor and hospital during illness. A survey showed that patients and physicians in Germany are both satisfied with their health care system (Reinhardt, 1994, p.22).

There are many individuals’ that think the German health care system is one of the best in the world. Back in 1883 a man by the name of Otto von Bismarck, created Germany’s health care system; a universal health care system which is the oldest in Europe ("Otto von Bismarck," 2012). When the German health care system was created, it was mandatory for a select few mainly, low-income workers and specific government employees. Gradually the system was expanded to cover the entire German population. Under the German universal health care system 85 % of their population has

Germany has a market based health system. They have universal health care that covers medical, dental, mental health and even homeopathy. Insurance companies cannot make a profit from insured customers. Therefore, the price for insurance is negotiated between the government and the Insurance provider. Like any other healthcare system there are

The third and final health insurance provided to Japan’s citizens is health insurance for the elderly. This plan covers the elderly and disabled. This is a long term care insurance that offers home care, respite care, or institutional care depending on the needs of the individual. Most of the cost is covered by the insurance. This insurance was put in place to cover the elderly especially since Japanese people have a long life expectancy. This in turn places the responsibility of paying for medical care on the government and takes it away from the individual and their families (“International Health Systems Japan.” 2010).

Japan has had a relatively inexpensive universal health insurance system for more than 50 years. Germany made health insurance mandatory for its entire population in 2009. Chile has given all Chileans access to a basic health care package since 2005.

Kunkel, Brown, and Whittington (2014) express that “the world’s older population is growing more than twice as fast as the world’s total population (United Nations, 2009)” (p.1). With an increasing aging population, it is crucial to keep in mind the health care these older adults are receiving. The United States has many private out of pocket insurances, as well as the Affordable Care Act for their citizens; however, a program called Medicare is offered for their elderly population. On the other hand, England offers universal healthcare, called National Health Service to all of their citizens, including the elderly. Although the United States and England provide health care through different systems, they still both supply quality coverage for their older population.

Eligibility for long-term care coverage is based on an objective process in Japan and Germany that uniformly applies the same criteria to all persons. The requirements are similar in both countries, although the review process for applicants is varied. Ultimately, Campbell, Ikegami, and Gibson concluded that the most critical aspect of determining eligibility for a long-term care plan is an objective, expeditious need-based process (Campbell, Ikegami, & Gibson, 2009). The lessons learned from Japan and Germany that would benefit the United States when operating public long-term healthcare insurance are that eligibility should emphasize the importance of

Germany’s and the United States’ healthcare systems compare and contrast in many ways. Germany has the third richest economy in the world and many categorize their healthcare system as socialized. Germany provides medical care to all of the citizens—young, poor, old, sick, and injured. Otto von Bismarck the Prussian chancellor in the 1880s in Germany invented the concept of healthcare systems, the notion that a government has to provide mechanisms so all its people can get medical care when they need it. In 1883, the Sickness Insurance Act was passed, representing the first social insurance program. Over the past 130 years the

Comparing health care systems of the United States and Germany. Assessing the areas of health care for adults’ elderly and retired, coverage for prescriptions, referrals for testing and specialties including pre-existing conditions, and financial effects and of course the children.

The United States as compared to Bismarck Model and other universal health care systems is lacking control and so fragmented especially to other nations. Bismarck Model or as stated in the text book “the insurance model” is known as the oldest health care model (Kovner & Knickman, 2011). Although, every employer and employee (payroll deductions) contributes according to income (Kovner & Knickman, 2011). Bismarck varies in the “basic coverage” from one country to another (Kovner & Knickman, 2011). Found in Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Latin America, and Japan (Kovner & Knickman, 2011). This is not quite like the United States, where the funds go to the government (Kovner & Knickman, 2011).

On page 82, Reid discusses Japan’s Bismarck model which differs from Germany’s due to the 3,500 health Insurance plans. These plans are divided into three general categories ranging from plans for large/small companies along with plans for those who are retired. Most importantly, everyone in Japan has to sign an individual mandate. I think that the United States needs to find a resolution after years of debates. It’s intriguing how a mandate that is implemented without any controversy in one country can be so controversial in another country.