Universal Healthcare System
The Japanese spend half as much on healthcare as do Americans, but still they live longer (Economist, 2011). The healthcare system in Japan provides healthcare to all of its citizens for little to no charge at all. Most citizens have access to medical services including preventative health, prenatal care and infectious disease maintenance. Assistance for payment of these medical services is offered through a universal healthcare system known as Kaihoken. The healthcare system was established to provide equality of access through government regulated fees. The average citizen usually pays only about 30% of all medical costs while the government pays the remainder. On the contrary, the U.S. is predominantly run by the private sector costing the
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insured and employers thousands of dollars each year. However, there are some forms of public assistance for those who qualify under strict governmental regulation. Japans universal healthcare system is divided into four categories; social insurance, social welfare, public assistance and public health.
The core social insurance is a mandatory system that ensures the livelihood of citizens by providing benefits for medical events such as injury, disease, childbirth, old-age and disability. All citizens must be covered by one of the following insurance plans; 1) employee’s health insurance for employed individuals, 2) national health insurance for self-employed individuals and those out of employment, and 3) the healthcare system for later-stage elderly for the people aged 75 years or older (JNA, 2006). Each of these plans operate through government regulation and requires only a minimal out-of-pocket each month based on a three tier system which takes income and age into consideration. Aside from the monthly out-of-pocket a patient may also be responsible for paying a percentage of consultation fees to the healthcare institute where services were rendered. Healthcare institutions may then submit a medical claim to the insurers to receive a reimbursement. Healthcare expenditures are paid on a fee-for-service …show more content…
basis. The United States healthcare system, like many other systems in the world, consists of private and public insurers. What is unique about the U.S. system is the dominance of private insurers over public. Public health insurance consist of two plans; Medicare, for individuals aged 65 or older and Medicaid, for low-income children, families and pregnant women. Private health insurance also consists of two plans, employer-sponsored and private non-group. The public insurance sector provides care to individuals that qualify based on socioeconomic status. Depending on ones level of poverty, individuals may pay little or no cost. Medicare provides health insurance to the elderly for a minimal monthly premium and yearly deductible. Medicaid provides healthcare at free of charge or through share of cost with the insured. Share of cost is an out-of-pocket maximum the insured must meet each month before they are covered in full. Most private insurance companies require the insured to pay a monthly premium, meet a yearly deductible and a yearly out-of-pocket maximum before they are covered in full. There are several similarities and differences within the healthcare systems of the U.S.
and Japan. One of the major differences would be that, in Japan, the government restricts healthcare companies from making any profit. The government also regulates how much money insurance companies have to spend for procedures, physicians earn annually and the price of medications. Furthermore, the government requires healthcare coverage to be available to every citizen regardless of health status. The U.S. healthcare system is basically the opposite of that in Japan. The health insurance companies in the U.S. seek to make as much money as possible and insure only those who are “high profit and low risk,” denying coverage to those with pre-existing conditions. (Long, 2009). A benefit to the U.S. healthcare system would be the access to state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, but at a cost to the
individual.
References
Healthcare in Japan. (2011). Retrieved February 21, 2012 from The Economist website: http://www.economist.com/node/21528660
Japanese Healthcare System. (2006). Retrieved February 21, 2012 from Japanese Nurs- ing Association website: http://www.nurse.or.jp/jna/english/nursing/medical.html
Chua, K., (2006). Overview of the U.S. Healthcare System. Retrieved February 21, 2012 from AMSA website: http://www.amsa.org/AMSA/Libraries/Committee_Docs /HealthCareSystemOverview.sflb.ashx
Long, D., (2009). Comparing and Contrasting the American and Japanese Healthcare
Systems. Retrieved February 21, 2012 from Bukisa website: http://www.bu kisa.com/articles/216630_comparing-and-contrasting-the-american-and-japan ese-healthcare-systems-is-socialized-medicine-the-most-efficient-system
insured and employers thousands of dollars each year. However, there are some forms of public assistance for those who qualify under strict governmental regulation. Japans universal healthcare system is divided into four categories; social insurance, social welfare, public assistance and public health.
The core social insurance is a mandatory system that ensures the livelihood of citizens by providing benefits for medical events such as injury, disease, childbirth, old-age and disability. All citizens must be covered by one of the following insurance plans; 1) employee’s health insurance for employed individuals, 2) national health insurance for self-employed individuals and those out of employment, and 3) the healthcare system for later-stage elderly for the people aged 75 years or older (JNA, 2006). Each of these plans operate through government regulation and requires only a minimal out-of-pocket each month based on a three tier system which takes income and age into consideration. Aside from the monthly out-of-pocket a patient may also be responsible for paying a percentage of consultation fees to the healthcare institute where services were rendered. Healthcare institutions may then submit a medical claim to the insurers to receive a reimbursement. Healthcare expenditures are paid on a fee-for-service …show more content…
basis. The United States healthcare system, like many other systems in the world, consists of private and public insurers. What is unique about the U.S. system is the dominance of private insurers over public. Public health insurance consist of two plans; Medicare, for individuals aged 65 or older and Medicaid, for low-income children, families and pregnant women. Private health insurance also consists of two plans, employer-sponsored and private non-group. The public insurance sector provides care to individuals that qualify based on socioeconomic status. Depending on ones level of poverty, individuals may pay little or no cost. Medicare provides health insurance to the elderly for a minimal monthly premium and yearly deductible. Medicaid provides healthcare at free of charge or through share of cost with the insured. Share of cost is an out-of-pocket maximum the insured must meet each month before they are covered in full. Most private insurance companies require the insured to pay a monthly premium, meet a yearly deductible and a yearly out-of-pocket maximum before they are covered in full. There are several similarities and differences within the healthcare systems of the U.S.
and Japan. One of the major differences would be that, in Japan, the government restricts healthcare companies from making any profit. The government also regulates how much money insurance companies have to spend for procedures, physicians earn annually and the price of medications. Furthermore, the government requires healthcare coverage to be available to every citizen regardless of health status. The U.S. healthcare system is basically the opposite of that in Japan. The health insurance companies in the U.S. seek to make as much money as possible and insure only those who are “high profit and low risk,” denying coverage to those with pre-existing conditions. (Long, 2009). A benefit to the U.S. healthcare system would be the access to state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, but at a cost to the
individual.
References
Healthcare in Japan. (2011). Retrieved February 21, 2012 from The Economist website: http://www.economist.com/node/21528660
Japanese Healthcare System. (2006). Retrieved February 21, 2012 from Japanese Nurs- ing Association website: http://www.nurse.or.jp/jna/english/nursing/medical.html
Chua, K., (2006). Overview of the U.S. Healthcare System. Retrieved February 21, 2012 from AMSA website: http://www.amsa.org/AMSA/Libraries/Committee_Docs /HealthCareSystemOverview.sflb.ashx
Long, D., (2009). Comparing and Contrasting the American and Japanese Healthcare
Systems. Retrieved February 21, 2012 from Bukisa website: http://www.bu kisa.com/articles/216630_comparing-and-contrasting-the-american-and-japan ese-healthcare-systems-is-socialized-medicine-the-most-efficient-system