Recap from Sick Around the World documentary (PUBH 102)

-United States
-Healthcare expenditures account for 16 percent of total GDP
-Healthcare is largely privatized and expensive
-Over 47 million Americans are not covered by insurance
-Medical bills cause many people to file for bankruptcy
-Affordable care act could bring coverage to all Americans if passed by the Supreme
Court

-England
-Healthcare expenditures account for 8.7 percent of total GDP
-Government-run national health service
-Pay higher taxes than Americans but over 90 percent of the population is happy with
their system
-Have a gate-keeper system that allows patients to regularly see practitioners for
checkups and can be referred to any specialist
-Have longer wait times for elective procedures (up to 11 months)

-Japan
-Healthcare expenditures account for 8 percent of total GDP
-80 percent of hospitals are privatized
-Countrywide standardized prices for healthcare and doctors are paid directly by the
government
-Healthcare coverage is not dependent on employment
-50 percent of hospitals are in financial deficits because their prices are too low

-Germany
-Healthcare expenditures account for 10.5 percent of total GDP
-Healthcare is largely privatized
-No individual can be denied healthcare with the Bismarck model
-Rich pay into the system to pay for the poor that can’t afford healthcare but the rich
can opt-out

Taiwan
-Healthcare expenditures account for 6.2 percent of total GDP
-National healthcare system that everyone must be a part of and pay for
-Healthcare is not denied to any person
-All citizens are given a card that has all of their information and records linked to keep
administration costs down
-Hospitals are financed with loans due to low income

-Switzerland
-Healthcare expenditures account for 10.7 percent of total GDP
-Universal healthcare for every citizen
-Everyone pays in and those who can’t afford to are paid for by the government
-No bankruptcy from medical bills, the government will pay what a person can’t
-Government is currently re-configuring the payment system and changing the amount
each citizen needs to pay.