“Sick Around the World”The reform about the healthcare system in the US has been debated within the government and the public for years. The need for change in the healthcare system echoed since the legislation of Medicare and Medicaid were created. US presidents have tried to push for a universal healthcare system because of its citizen’s outcry for better, quality care, for all. Surprisingly other countries have studied the US health system and reared away from its market based structure to more of a government based structure.
In watching the documentary titled “Sick Around the World” I find it ironic that the most powerful rich country in the world ranks 37th when it comes to healthcare for its citizens. As a citizen of the US, I believe we can model our health care system similar to one of these countries in the documentary.
However not all these different health system seemed suitable to structure after.Instead of health insurance companies making huge profits and putting a dent in patient’s pockets, we should model our system similar to Germany.
The citizens of Germany pay two-thirds compared to US for health costs. In talking to people and listening to the news it puts a grim on my face hearing families go bankrupt because of health care costs. The citizens of the richest nation shouldn’t have to deal with the financial burden of living a healthy life pilling up on them. Instead we should have a sickness fund like Germany to negotiate care prices with hospitals, instead of inflating prices for care.
With this system the employed get coverage through work and the unemployed stays insured through the government.
In Germany although doctors don’t make much compared to US, it’s a golden opportunity for medical students. I believe that studying medicine should be about caring for the less fortunate and not thinking about a big pay date. But students in the US are looking forward to that big pay date in order to pay back all those loans they incurred through their school years. Maybe a relocation effort would benefit because it costs nothing to study medicine in Germany. There is also the incentive of low malpractice insurance students in Germany can look forward to. In retreating back to patient benefits in Germany, a co-pay of $15 is paid out of pocket every three months. The cost for prescription drugs is small compared to US price for prescription drugs. With every health system there is an opposition from the other side of the aisle. In Germany doctors have complained about low salaries with regard to high care they provide.
This is why I believe if you are getting a free education to study medicine, you should not be thinking about huge profits. In my opinion a country as a whole flourishes with healthy citizens financially.When hospitals have to complete for government funds it makes me think twice about this health care system. This type of system is used in Great Britain which makes doctors salaried government employees. With the government owning hospitals, higher taxes are passed down to the public in order to pay through tax revenue. This type of system also puts in jeopardy under performing hospitals, putting the jobs of medical students, professions at jeopardy.
If hospitals are closed down due to performance rating, patients will have to wait longer for services with limited hospitals. In this system patients are also tangled up in going through a gatekeeper to see a specialist. So if hospitals and clinics are shut down, patients would even wait longer to see a specialist. This type of health care structure is not desirable for elective care such as heart operation. It might be suitable for preventive care, but patient’s tent to abuse the no-cost services just to talk to doctors without feeling ill. An alternative method to reduce patient traffic would be charging low premiums to create space for more serious care.
The medical facilities should be privatized as well, where the government has some control over prices charged for medical services. Doctors should be competing for patient services, instead of hospitals competing for funds. This widens the playing field because doctors should earn their salary, instead of being paid a salary. Everybody individual physician would have to contribute his/her skill to their respective medical center for it to prosper. Instead of hospitals shutting down because of lack of funds, individual doctors would be held accountable by their board if under performing. With this type of strategy more hospitals stay open, giving the public more access to a timely care.
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