Comment on these two posts:
Of the five countries outlined in the video, “Sick around the world”, Japan is listed as one of the countries attempting to answer the question: ”how do we satisfy patients, provide service quality and maximize profit under limited resources in a competitive environment?” (Amira, 2011).
Japan’s citizens are enrolled in a government healthcare plan that is obtained through their place of employment and is a social insurance system (Palfreman, 2008). With the changes in healthcare from the Affordable Care Act, Japan and the United States do not vary as widely from each other in how people are funded because a person who loses employment within both nations is still allotted healthcare.
One of the major differences is in the reimbursement method that is used to pay hospitals and physicians. In Japan, a fees list is created by the government and reviewed every two years. It is distributed throughout the country and guides the pricing for treatments, services, hospitalization, emergency care, and provider time. This creates transparency for patients and limits what providers and hospitals may charge. Citizens may visit doctor or specialist at any time without appointment or referral. Because fee for service is capped, there is no incentive for doctors to benefit financially in this system. In fact, a main complaint is that physicians are not compensated well enough as they have long patient wait times and perform multiple tasks in any one visit.
While price transparency is valuable and needed, a set fee system would not benefit the United States healthcare system. It would lower incentive to provide quality care and create patient- provider barriers. While reducing cost would be a benefit, eliminating the incentives for providers would decrease the number of people interested in pursuing the role. They would feel overworked and under paid. The idea that the patient controls the treatment plan by selecting who and when they want to be seen would congest an already crowded healthcare system and increase hospital stays.
Discuss how access to education affects health outcomes.
The video of Girl Rising shows inequalities in the treatment of girls in Nepal and serves as a representation of the struggles that many girls experience around the world. It emphasizes her bondage to a master while her brothers were allowed to stay home and learn. Abandonment seemed to be a huge theme in this video. Had her parents demonstrated their love equally despite her gender, she could have been exposed to opportunities to learn in many different ways. Acceptance is something she was void of receiving before the teachers stepped in on her behalf.
Education does not equate health, yet it is a catalyst to opportunities that broaden horizons and give rise to hope. Hope improves mindset and improved mindset improves health and reduces stress. It develops a new sense of self and attributes value to a person. However, that does not diminish the need for and value of education. With education, we find our place in the world and without it, extra struggle must occur to change and grow. Proper education is imperative to understanding instruction and making positive life choices. So while it does not equal health, it is a huge contributing factor.
References
Amira ep, K. E. (2011). Healthcare service quality perception in Japan. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 24(6), 417-29. http://dx.doi.org.library.norwich.edu/10.1108/09526861111150680
Palfreman, J. (15 April 2008). Sick Around the World. Public Broadcasting System (PBS), Season 2008: Episode 11. Retrieved online 6 August, 2021 at https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/sickaroundtheworld/
Popham, F., & Iannelli, C. (2021). Does comprehensive education reduce health inequalities? Ssm – Population Health, 15, 100834–100834. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100834
Ross, C.E., Mirowsky, J.( 1999). Refining the association between education and health: The effects of quantity, credential, and selectivity. Demography 36, 445–460. https://doi.org/10.2307/2648083. Retrieved online 5 August 2021 at https://www-jstor-org.library.norwich.edu/stable/2648083?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
Ruggles, B. M., Xiong, A., & Kyle, B. (2019). Healthcare coverage in the us and japan: a comparison. Nursing, 49(4), 56–56. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NURSE.0000553277.03472.d8
I Choose Switzerland from the movie!
Switzerland is ranked as one of the top 5 health care systems globally, including healthcare for nonresidents. The healthcare system is universal, although unlike other countries with similar systems; it is not funded by government taxes but is paid for by the individual rather than through taxes or the employer. Anyone entering Switzerland must have basic health insurance; even as a tourist, one must be covered by a recognized Swiss health insurance provider if a tourist is in Switzerland for longer than three months. Compared to other European countries, Switzerland spends the highest GDP (over 12%) on healthcare. Insurance providers are allowed to be changed once a year with prior notice. Some health insurance providers offer bi-annual cancellation options, but these require three-month notices. Even though Switzerland’s healthcare system is universal, there is no free public healthcare in Switzerland. Instead, all residents of Switzerland must pay for their private health insurance. In Switzerland, everyone must be by private insurance companies. Even children and dependents require their health plans. Therefore, it is up to each Swiss resident to figure out how to get health insurance in Switzerland. To ensure all citizens can receive coverage, the Swiss government mandates that all insurance providers offer primary health care coverage. Health insurance providers are also not allowed to reject applicants for any reason.
Healthcare in Switzerland is of high quality and competitively priced; thus, perceiving how much health insurance costs depends on your specific area and the medical treatment required, one will often is expected to pay specific fees out of pocket. There is no Medicare in Switzerland, and basic healthcare coverage can sometimes be confused with public healthcare because it is mandatory for all citizens. However, basic healthcare coverage is offered through private insurance companies, which are mandated by law. Because primary healthcare is mandatory, every resident in Switzerland is entitled to the same coverage and standard of care. Even if someone has a pre-existing condition, a Swiss health insurance company cannot deny coverage, nor can they charge the exorbitant amounts compared to someone who does not have a pre-existing condition. Depending on the person’s age, the insurance package chosen will be the same while living there. If someone gets sick or injured, the rate will not increase. Healthcare standards across the country are high, and non-natives will have no problem receiving excellent care no matter where in Switzerland they require treatment.
On the other hand, Healthcare in Switzerland is expensive, and one will pay for most treatment out-of-pocket and be reimbursed later. Any stay in Switzerland exceeding 90 days requires health insurance. Even if you are only moving to Switzerland for half a year and feel generally healthy, you are legally required to get private health insurance. Switzerland is renowned for its expense, but many non-natives are still surprised by how expensive healthcare is, especially neighboring European countries. Switzerland’s healthcare system is known as one of the best globally and one of the most expensive. Switzerland’s health care costs are partly because government-mandated private insurance premiums fund a significant portion of the healthcare system. Generic drugs are also not common in Switzerland, forcing residents to shell out for expensive name-brand items. On average, Swiss residents spend nearly 10% of their salary on health insurance costs.
The government runs healthcare in Switzerland. As a result, it is expensive and competitive, and of high quality no matter where you go. Both public and private hospitals have high standards and modern facilities. The main difference between the two: is cost and wait time. In a private hospital, patients will pay more out of pocket; however, their wait time is less, and they may have more excellent luck finding specialized services. Public hospitals will have cheaper rates, but wait times are longer, and patients see whichever doctor is available for visits. The financing and organization of health care in other developed nations have one common feature: providing universal coverage and access to health care for their populations.
What can we learn from other nations as we move forward toward a goal of universal coverage, whether through improvements in the Affordable Care Act or a new healthcare model? The reason why free health care would not work in the U.S. relates directly to the cost of providing state-of-the-art health care services. Free health care services will not work without a comprehensive plan to pay for medical services and medical providers. With free health care, costs would be paid through higher taxes on the employed, who would pay for their personal health care needs and the indigent. I think that a hybrid model would work best in the U.S as a capitalist society.
Discuss how access to education affects health outcome?
Education can brings positive change as “we do better when we know better”. These remarkable girls’ stories express a journey of the strength of the human spirit, and the power of education is vividly a witness to change the world with their voice; as they confront tremendous challenges and overcome impossible odds to pursue their dreams. Indeed, very inspiring! A clear understanding of the macro-level contexts in which education impacts health is integral to improving national health administration and policy. Adults with higher educational attainment have better health and lifespans compared to their less-educated peers. We highlight that tertiary education is critical in influencing infant mortality, life expectancy, child vaccination, and enrollment rates. In addition, an economy needs to consider potential years of life lost premature mortality as a measure of health quality. A clear understanding of the health benefits of education can serve as the key to reducing health disparities and improving the well-being of future populations.
We bring to light the health disparities across countries and suggest implications for governments to target educational interventions to reduce inequalities and improve health. Our country-level findings on employment, education or training, rates offer implications for economies to address a broad array of vulnerabilities ranging from unemployment, school life expectancy, and labor market discouragement. The health effects of education are at the grass roots-creating better overall self-awareness on personal health and making healthcare more accessible.
Research has proposed that the relationship between education and health is attributable to three general classes of mediators: economic, social, psychological, and interpersonal, and behavioral health. Economic variables such as income and occupation mediate the relationship between education and health by controlling and determining access to acute and preventive medical care. Social, psychological, and interpersonal resources allow people with different levels of education to access coping resources and strategies, social support and problem-solving and cognitive abilities to handle ill-health consequences such as stress. Healthy behaviors enable educated individuals to recognize symptoms of ill health promptly and seek appropriate medical help. The people with more education are likely to have more health literacy, live longer, experience better health outcomes, practice health-promoting behaviors, and obtain timely health checkups.
Reference
Bodenheimer, T. & Grumbach, K. (2016). Understanding health policy: A clinical approach (7th ed). McGraw Hill Medical.
PBS.org. (2008, April 15). Sick around the world. PBS.org – Frontline. Video)
Robbins, R. E. (Director). (2016). Girl rising – Nepal Chapter. 10×10 Studios, Youtube.com
Access the complete Girl Rising Documentary (100 min) (Library Link)
https://archpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13690-020-00402-
https://www.internations.org/go/moving-to-switzerland/healthcare
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