Compare and Contrast Essay on Health Care Between the U.S. And Other Countries

Introduction

Health care in the U.S. is provided by various different organizations. The health care amenities in the U.S. are mostly owned and run by the private sector organizations. The U.S. health care system is exceptional compared to other advanced industrialized countries in a way that, it has no universal health care handling nor an unvarying health system. This research paper aims at comparing and contrasting between the U.S. health care and other countries like Canada and Germany.

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Comparison and Contrast of Health Care in Canada and the United States

Canada has a national health insurance program (NHI) which is a health insurance system run by the Canadian government to cover the entire population and offer beneficial medical package. The U.S., on the other hand, has not even a single system countrywide of healthcare insurance. The health care insurance coverage in Canada is universal while in the U.S. it is acquired in the private sector or offered by the government to some groups like those with disabilities, the unemployed, and those who live in poverty. In the U.S., private health insurance can either be procured from insurers that are non-profit based or from profitable insurance companies (Ridic et al., 2012). Medicare is the health care system used in Canada to cover the whole Canadian population and the U.S. as well as a Medicare program for the elderly only. Medicaid is a publicly funded health program in the U.S. supported by federal and state funds to cover low-income women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

Healthcare eligibility in Canada is that the residents of Canadian territories and provinces are covered by public insurance and are allowed to make their own requirements for their insurance as long as they are in compliance with Canadian Health Act (CHA). For those people who are not Canadian residents like immigrants, illegal immigrants, and temporary visitors, are not covered by universal health care systems, although they are considered eligible for partial benefits. In the U.S. some residents are concerned and pay for health care to people with overstayed visa, people who enter the country illegally or having done fraudulent things to appear eligible for the health care benefits. Payment of health care in Canada, all regular visits to diagnostic services, hospitals, and doctors are covered by the Provincial Health Insurance (PHI). There are some costs, however, that are cost-shared when it comes to services like dental care, ambulances, prescription, and long-term care facilities (Woolhandler et al., 2003). The government, nevertheless, provides a tax credit to reduce the burden of those services. Payment for health care in the U.S., on the other hand, depending on the type of care you have made payment options to differ. If an individual has a private health insurance, for instance, he/she and the employer pay the premiums. If an individual is self-employed, he/she pay the premiums on their own. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), nonetheless, offers tax credits to help individuals pay for their private insurance plan.

When it comes to issues regarding health care, the major problem in the U.S. is the access to care as many Americans have no health insurance resulting in limited access to healthcare. The U.S. has a health care providers shortage and the affordability is an issue to health facilities (Woolhandler et al., 2003). On the other hand, the Canadian single payer system does not cover everything where private insurance is regularly used to supplement the coverage. There are also long wait times associated with Canadian health care. Canada provides a good contrast and comparison of its health care systems structure than the U.S. Canada and the U.S., however, share alike heritage in relation to culture and language. They also share an extended border with comparable economic institutions.

Comparison and Contrast of Health Care in Germany and the United States

Health care delivery in Germany is alike to that of the U.S. whereby most part, independent providers and insurers and the majority of employee groups reach agreements without the direct intervention of the government. Germany depends on a mandated approach whereby coverage for given conditions is mandatory by the law (Ridic et al., 2012). Germany has presented cost controls that are similar in principle to the potential payment beneath the U.S. mechanism. In Germany health care system, every level of the government has specific responsibilities. The states governments are accountable for hospital planning, running of state hospitals as well as regulation of physician associations and sickness funds. The local government manages public health programs as well as local hospitals. The central government is responsible for passing legislation on policy and jurisdiction. Decentralization is widespread in Germany where physician associations and sickness funds have a significant administrative autonomy.

Germany health care system uses the Bismarck model which is entrenched to the national solidarity's philosophy. Under this model, employers and employees contribute to a communal insurance system over a payroll tax which is proportionate to income. As a result, these create funds referred as sickness funds that cover medical expenses (Moran, 1999). The U.S. health care system, on the other hand, is shaped by a variety of factors like cultural values, beliefs, social changes, technological advances, political issues, and economic constraints. The complexity of Americans' health care system creates a challenge as consumers are uninformed of the genuine cost of health care and thus remain confused by charges and insurance.

Access to healthcare in Germany have no barriers to the people apart from of geographic position which is covered by the availability of efficient public train system throughout Germany. The U.S., on the other hand, faces challenges in access to healthcare, equity, cost-effectiveness, and in care coordination especially in rural areas (Moran, 1999). Germany system does not encounter problems in terms of coordinating care and controlling costs. Germany's health care system has a universal coverage for all residents that qualify compared to the U.S.'s system. They are both similar, however, in that residents carry their health coverage either by a private or a public insurance provider.

Conclusion

From the above discussion, variations in health care in Germany, Canada, and in the U.S. exists in terms of financing, the role of government, payment provider mechanisms, and the degree of centralization. The U.S. appears as the nation with the highest disbursements on health care. Canadians and Germans are more pleased with their health care systems than the Americans. Among the 3 countries, the U.S. is the most spender in total capita terms and health care. Germany succeeds to deliver a health system that delivers widespread health insurance thereby evading queues that distress government systems. Canadian health care system has more services, lower costs, superior health status, and widespread access to health care with no financial barriers compared to the U.S. system. Germans and Canadians have lower infant mortality rates and extended life expectancies than the Americans due to better health care.

References

Moran, M. (1999). Governing the health care state: a comparative study of the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany. Manchester University Press.

Ridic, G., Gleason, S., & Ridic, O. (2012). Comparisons of health care systems in the United States, Germany, and Canada. Material socio-media, 24(2), 112.

Woolhandler, S., Campbell, T., & Himmelstein, D. U. (2003). Costs of health care administration in the United States and Canada. New England Journal of Medicine, 349(8), 768-775.