Switzerland Case Study

Switzerland regulates that children covered by SHI have deductible of zero for children up to age 18. Individuals are responsible for 10 percent of coinsurance, but costs are capped at roughly $275. Unemployed individuals are still expected to contribute (amount is reassessed based on individual situation) to the income compensations scheme, and the old age and invalidity pensions. Unemployment benefits are available if criteria are met. Individuals 55 years or older can qualify for retirement. However, retirement doesn’t exempt individuals from still paying the SHI.

As of January 2015, it was reported that at least two dozen people were infected with Measles between

The healthcare systems of Switzerland and the United States are quite similar in some aspects and vastly different in others. In Switzerland, the healthcare is universal and available to all. It is provided by private individual insurance companies and subsidized by the government when needed. Basic health insurance is required to be purchased within 3 months of residency or after birth and is an individual’s choice as to what carrier they choose. Of course, there are exceptions to this mandate but they are very few.("Healthcare in Switzerland," “n.d.”, para. 1) Because of this requirement, 99.5% of the population in Switzerland has

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.

Audience hook: In 2014, the U.S experienced a record number of cases of measles, mostly from the Philippines. Most were unvaccinated and most were from international travel.

“Maternity care and a few preventive services are fully covered and are thus exempt from deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments. Minors do not have to pay deductibles or copayments for inpatient care. The federal government and the cantons provide income-based subsidies to individuals or households to help cover statutory health insurance premiums; income thresholds vary widely by canton (see Swiss Conference of Cantonal Health Ministers, 2014a for details). Overall, 29 percent of residents (2012) benefit from individual premium subsidies. Municipalities or cantons cover the health insurance expenses of social assistance beneficiaries and recipients of supplementary old age and disability benefits.” (The Commonwealth, pg. 145) Did not find information on unemployed persons or exactly how “old age” benefits are paid

In early April 2013 a measles outbreak was discovered in North Carolina. By mid-May the outbreak had been identified in Stokes and Orange Counties via 23 active cases. Every case was linked back to a family that had spent 3 months in India and had not been vaccinated. By the 16th of April the state laboratory of Public Health was able to confirm the diagnosis, with the last known case being confirmed on May 7th. The investigation of this outbreak revealed 4 patients with a confirmed diagnosis that had received one of vaccination of the two part series. The other 19 cases had not ever been vaccinated.

Though the United States is known for having the highest quality health care in the

In contemporary American society, birth control has become more readily accessible to women, which is indicated by the increased usage of contraception in society. The number of birth

The Swiss healthcare adopted a system with the principles of universality and equality requiring all individuals to purchase health insurance on the private market, providing financial assistance to those on lower incomes, and regulating the insurance market to protect those with poor health. The current Swiss health care system came into effect in 1996 under the Health Insurance Law of 18 March 1994, introducing a managed health care system to provide full coverage in basic health insurance, which is regulated by the Federal Office of Public Health, and outlined the level of health care that patients should receive and allowed competition between insurers in enhancing standards and decreasing insurance premiums costs. Insurers require to accept all applicants, and cannot vary premiums based on the health of each consumer and make profits on basic package plans. Individuals are permitted to purchase supplementary insurance to fund additional health care, but other regulations are applied with regards to enrolment, for-profit status, and premium variations. Supplementary insurance is regulated by the Federal Office of Private Insurance and is voluntary. Primary care providers are funded through reimbursement from insurers (Holly, et al, 2004; Mossialos, et al., 2015).

In the United States, there are many health insurance offered in the market for its citizens. Either through their employer or in the private market where coverage in not guaranteed and if you have a pre-existing condition, you will likely be denied. As private insurances soars, high premiums becoming unaffordable in the US, having the healthcare system failing to cover over 46 million Americans and leaving millions uninsured leading to bankruptcy (Palfreman, 2009). As most of the developed countries have removed the dependence of the health insurance

The term “Best Healthcare System” is very subjective because what part of the healthcare system are you talking about and who are you comparing it to all nations, western nations, or members of the U.N. The world is build up of many different nations with many different types of healthcare systems so it is

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.

The United States is ranked below China, Algeria and Iran when it comes to health care. The United States is ranked 46 among 48 countries. (Huffingtonpost.com, 2013)

The German health care system has the reputation of being one of the best in the world. There is an extensive network of hospitals and doctors covering even the remotest areas of Germany.