national health care

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about National Health Plans ….and maybe more - Netherlands and Sweden

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Netherlands and Sweden

In both countries, the majority of the population buys supplemental policies, often purchased from the insurer providing basic coverage. Insurers providing supplemental coverage are subject to fewer (Netherlands) or no (Switzerland) risk-rating restrictions. This has had complex effects on competition and mobility of the insured in the supplemental insurance market.

Tight regulation of basic health insurance markets, with requirements for open enrollment and community rating. Both countries require that insurers accept all applicants and prohibit variations in premiums by health status—community rating, with guaranteed offer and renewal.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about National Health Plans ….and maybe more - Japan

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JAPAN

One thing I thought about when researching Japan's plan was the consideration of tradition and society.  As a professor once said, it is easier to get 100 Japanese to wear the same clothing than it is to get two Americans to decide on which pizza to buy.  In Japan families will help with in hospital nursing.  How willing would American's be to help with nursing?

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about National Health Plans ….and maybe more - Germany

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Germany

"German Health System Not Quite in Intensive Care " - Going by media reports and public opinion in Germany, one might think the country's health care system is sclerotic and near collapse. But international comparisons and health-care experts paint a different picture.

In a 2000 report conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) on global health care, Germany ranked 25th out of 191 countries based on a cost-effectiveness ratio, coming in before the USA (37) and Canada (30). In another study, carried out by the Frank Beske Institute for Health System Research in 2005, Germany came in first among 14 industrial countries regarding health-care services available to the insured.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about National Health Plans ….and maybe more - France

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France

"In the movie Sicko, Moore lumps France in with the socialized systems of Britain, Canada, and Cuba. In fact, the French system is similar enough to the U.S. model that reforms based on France's experience might work in America. That's not to say the French have solved all health-care riddles. Like every other nation, France is wrestling with runaway health-care inflation. That has led to some hefty tax hikes, and France is now considering U.S.-style health-maintenance organization (HMO) tactics to rein in costs.

Still, some 65% of French citizens express satisfaction with their system, compared with 40% of U.S. residents. And France spends just 10.7% of its gross domestic product on health care, while the U.S. lays out 16%, more than any other nation."

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about National Health Plans ….and maybe more - Canada

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I'll try again because the first Canada blog got really messed up. Sorry Robert.

Canada
Spending on health care to reach $5,170 per Canadian in 2008

November 13, 2008—Canada’s health care spending is expected to reach $171.9 billion in 2008, or $5,170 per person, according to new figures released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). This represents an increase of $10.3 billion over estimated expenditures for 2007, or a growth of 6.4%. These figures are featured in National Health Expenditure Trends, 1975 to 2008, Canada’s most comprehensive source of information tracking how dollars are spent on health care in this country.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about National Health Plans ….and maybe more.

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As I mentioned in the pub, I was going to start posting some information about National Health plans of other countries.

As we hear more and more about the credit a National Plan will bring to the US economy, I eventually plan to find the debit side of the ledger.  One example of a debit to the States is the Premium Tax.  I believe every State in the Nation has a 1 to 2 percent tax on Gross Premiums collected.  National Health will bring the loss of the premium tax that should be used in the balance sheet.  There is more but that is not what will be part of this diary.

My information is in MS WORD format, footnoted and I've edited it down to about 34 pages. I'll be copying and pasting my info (footnotes included).  I'll post anywhere from one to several countries each day; countries are presented in alphabetical order..  Finally when I reach the last day, I will post a bit of information on the US Medicare plan.

Conservative Rule Costs U.S. $27 trillion

Is there a way to actually place a dollar amount on how much conservative rule has cost America? Stirling Newberry has offered a “back of the envelope” estimate of the costs of four consequences of conservative rule the past 28 years:

over-financialization of the American economy, the waste of privatized health care, over militarization of the American economy, and the externalization of global warming.

The total cost of conservative rule, in today’s dollars, is a staggering $27 trillion, nearly twice the total output of the entire U.S. economy for an entire year.