Comparing The Status And Coverage Of Healthcare In The United States

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International Healthcare
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that any country can improve the health outcomes of its citizens by providing an increase in the coverage of health services and reducing the hardships associated with paying for healthcare. Health is a basic human right and WHO is committed to working towards everyone having the highest achievable health (UHC, 2017). The purpose of this paper is to compare the health status and coverage of the citizens of Canada, Germany, Japan, and United Kingdom; and to make recommendations on improving the healthcare system and patient outcomes in the United States.
Healthcare coverage is mandatory in Japan. The Japanese government requires large employers to operate a self-insured …show more content…

Residents of Germany can decide which general practitioner, specialists, and hospital to receive care (Blümel & Busse, n.d.). Japan also allows its citizens the freedom to choose their physician and hospital in which to be treated and doesn’t routinely require prior authorization (Bodenheimer & Grumbach, 2016, Chapter 14). In Germany, sickness funds are required to offer their policyholders the opportunity to enroll in a care model that focuses on a family physician providing care to the individual (Blümel & Busse, n.d.). The NHS and the Canadian health insurance system allows its policyholders to choose their own general practitioner. NHS utilizes a gatekeeper model in which a referral is needed, except in emergencies. Canada also uses a gatekeeper model, but a specialist may see patients without a referral, but reimbursements are lower (Bodenheimer & Grumbach, …show more content…

Most of the ambulatory practitioners are not allowed to care for patients that are hospitalized, nor do many hospital-based physicians have private offices (Bodenheimer & Grumbach, 2016, Chapter 14). After hours care is available to residents and organized by the physicians association of the region (Blümel & Busse, n.d.). In Japan, many clinics and small hospitals are owned by physicians. Large hospitals are usually public entities and have a larger selection of specialties and sometimes run by a gatekeeper model (requiring a referral from primary care). The incidence of hospitalization and surgery is lower in Japan than the United States, but the length of stay is 3 times higher (Bodenheimer & Grumbach, 2016, Chapter 14).
In 2015, the per person health care expenses for Japan were $4286. Of the total per person expense, the out of pocket cost to the individual was $567 (Health policy in Japan, 2017). Japan also has a catastrophic cap or monthly threshold for out of pocket cost to the individual. Physicians are also prohibited from charging extra fees for services, except those that the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare have specified for extra fees (Matsuda, n.d.). The 2015 cost per person for healthcare in Canada was $4921, with $709 being out of pocket cost. Canada has no cap on healthcare spending (Canada,