Us Compared to Germany

I chose to compare the United States (U.S.) healthcare system with Germany. I chose Germany because I know very little about this country, especially its healthcare system. The biggest difference I noted is that Germany has a universal healthcare system, whereas the U.S. does not. The people of Germany contribute 8% of their earnings towards healthcare. The top 10% who make more than $72,000 a year pay more for health coverage, but receive more prompt and extra services (Lanier, 2008). Another difference I noted is that in Germany, there is no discrimination when it comes to certain illness and age (Lanier, 2008). The heath coverage covers everyone no matter how sick or old they are. In America, chronically ill individuals, at times, find it hard to find an insurance company to accept them. When they do, the coverage is usually at a much higher rate than that of a younger, healthier person. In Germany, there is quicker access to care. There is no long waiting period for surgery or procedures and it does not take weeks or months to see a physician like in the U.S. (Lanier, 2008). Many assume that there would be a longer waiting period in a country that has universal healthcare, but this isn't the case in Germany.

America has the most costly healthcare system in the world, yet underperforms compared to many other countries including Germany (Davis, 2007). Some of the areas that the U.S. ranks last on are access, safety, and efficiency. Germany spends less on healthcare, yet performs higher in these areas.

Davis, K. (2007, may 15). Mirror, mirror on the wall: an international update on the comparative performance of american health care. Retrieved from http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Publications/Fund-Reports/2007/May/Mirror--Mirror-on-the-Wall--An-International-Update-on-the-Comparative-Performance-of-American-Healt.aspx
Lanier, S. (2008, July 29). Healthcare: germany vs america. Retrieved from