Compare and contrast your choice of any aspect of the US health care delivery system with that of another country of your selection. Provide references for your information, and post a question for discussion by the class.
Discussion: The United States Versus Germany Healthcare Systems
Global pandemics like COVID-19 usually cause a strain on healthcare systems. The strength of a healthcare system determines whether it will be able to make it through a pandemic or not (Swahn, 2021). To be able to learn and benchmark from others, healthcare administrators should compare their health systems with other health systems in order to understand what worked and what did not (Nimako & Kruk, 2021). The purpose of this discussion is to compare and contrast the aspects of the United States healthcare delivery system with that of Germany.
There are some notable similarities in the healthcare delivery processes applied by the United States and Germany. For example, both the United States and Germany have integrated modern technology into healthcare delivery which has helped to advance their healthcare delivery processes. Again, both systems provide some form of health insurance to their populations which helps to cover a number of medical services. Additionally, employers are charged with the responsibility of supplying insurance to their employees (The Regents of the University of Michigan, 2022). Despite these similarities, there are some differences between the two systems that health administrators should understand.
The differences in the healthcare delivery systems between the United States and Germany contribute to variations in the nature and quality of care received by populations of these two countries. One of the differences is that health insurance in the United States is provided by both government and private marketplaces which are purchased by those who can afford it whereas, in Germany, it is mandatory to have health insurance (The Regents of the University of Michigan, 2022). Again, healthcare spending in the United States is relatively higher than that of Germany. In 2019, the Unites spend about 17% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on healthcare while that of Germany was 11.7% (Swahn, 2021). The two systems also differ in several other factors as follows; when compared with Germany, the United States provides higher quality care, has minimal waiting lists for major medical procedures, has varied health insurance options for its population, and allocates more resources to the provision of health care (Swahn, 2021). With these differences, does high healthcare expenditure by the United States mean better care for the country’s populations?
References
Nimako, K., & Kruk, M. E. (2021). Seizing the moment to rethink health systems. The Lancet. Global health, 9(12), e1758–e1762. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00356-9
Swahn, P. (2021). Competition of the 21st Century: United States vs. Germany – Which Healthcare System Is Superior? http://sites.gsu.edu/gsuglobalhealth/2021/02/15/competition-of-the-21st-century-united-states-vs-germany-which-healthcare-system-is-superior/comment-page-1/
The Regents of the University of Michigan. (2022). Comparing the German and American health care systems. https://sph.umich.edu/pursuit/2018posts/comparing-the-german-and-american-health-care-systems.html