Frontline: Sick Around the World
Health care has been a debatable topic for many years now. More than half of Americas are without health coverage. On the other side the world places like Germany and Japan required that everyone has insurance. In the videos, Sick Around the World and Sick Around America, Frontline examines the health care system in the United States and parts of the world such as, England, Japan, Germany, Taiwan, and Switzerland, for some responses about health care.
In the video Sick Around the World, Frontline travel to Britain, Japan, Germany, Taiwan, and Switzerland to investigate their health care system. In Britain, there is no insurance premium or no copayments and the system covers everybody. In Japan, everybody has to sign up for a health insurance policy and the government picks up the tab for those who are too poor. In Germany, health insurance continues with no change if you lose your job and prescriptions are covered with a very, very small co-pay. In Taiwan, the administrative cost is very low. In Switzerland, those not covered are automatically assigned to a company and the government provides assistance to those who can’t afford the premiums.
While on the other hand in America, the health care system is nothing like Britain, Japan, Germany, Taiwan, and Switzerland. The biggest problems with the current health care system in the United States is cost and affordability and medical underwriting. The cost of health care is expensive and not affordable for everybody. “The United States spent approximately $2.2 trillion on health care in 2007, or $7,421 per person – nearly twice the average of other developed nations. Americans spend more on health care than on housing or food. If rapid health cost growth persists, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that by 2025, one out of every four dollars in our national economy will be tied up in the health system” (gma-assn.org). The cost of premiums can run between $400 to $1000. Deferring care because of the stress
In the video Sick Around the World, Frontline travel to Britain, Japan, Germany, Taiwan, and Switzerland to investigate their health care system. In Britain, there is no insurance premium or no copayments and the system covers everybody. In Japan, everybody has to sign up for a health insurance policy and the government picks up the tab for those who are too poor. In Germany, health insurance continues with no change if you lose your job and prescriptions are covered with a very, very small co-pay. In Taiwan, the administrative cost is very low. In Switzerland, those not covered are automatically assigned to a company and the government provides assistance to those who can’t afford the premiums.
While on the other hand in America, the health care system is nothing like Britain, Japan, Germany, Taiwan, and Switzerland. The biggest problems with the current health care system in the United States is cost and affordability and medical underwriting. The cost of health care is expensive and not affordable for everybody. “The United States spent approximately $2.2 trillion on health care in 2007, or $7,421 per person – nearly twice the average of other developed nations. Americans spend more on health care than on housing or food. If rapid health cost growth persists, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that by 2025, one out of every four dollars in our national economy will be tied up in the health system” (gma-assn.org). The cost of premiums can run between $400 to $1000. Deferring care because of the stress