Health Care Paper

* Health Care Paper * Health is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “the condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit; especially: freedom from physical disease or pain”, but it is much more than that (Merriam-Webster, 2013). Health is one of the main components of living a long and happy life. Without our health, we could not live our daily lives in the manor that we normally do. Health care is imperative to ensure a healthy community and a healthy nation. One may assume that the number one superpower in the world would possess one of the most successful public health systems, but that is not the case at all. Americans spend the most money on health care in the entire world. * United States’ health care system is quite different compared to the five capitalist democracies. Each has a health care system that delivers care for everyone but each country has significant differences. In England, the NHS covers everyone entirely through highly elevated government taxes therefore no one is required to pay any medical bills. The two best components of England’s health care system are no medical costs and strong financial incentives for general practitioners to keep their patients healthy. The Japanese are known for their traditional diet and healthy way of living, which naturally leads to a long life expectancy rate. The best components of Japan’s health care system are its social insurance and fixed prices for every medical cost. Social insurance gives Japan’s citizens the opportunity to sign up for health care either through their employer or community, while the fixed prices make it possible for everyone to afford health care. Germany’s government provides mechanisms that allows for 90% of its citizens to use the national system of health care. The best components of Germany’s health care system are its broad coverage and fixed prices. Insurance companies that provide broad coverage also allot for consistent quality care and fixed low prices.

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