Health Care System of the United States of American and Japan

 Answer 

Health Care System of the United States of American and Japan

Introduction

The United States and Japan are among the most ranked healthcare systems based on their top-notch performances (Dutta et al., 2020). The two nations’ health care systems focus on improving the health of the population. Indeed, the two nations’ strategies other than enhancing their citizens’ population reduce the chances of health inequalities and further secures the population’s respondent needs. Correspondingly, the U.S.A and Japan’s healthcare systems focus on respecting the patient’s autonomy to make their choices and preserve their confidentiality. Besides, the U.S.A and Japan’s governments, via ministries of health and other related agencies, play an essential role in health development via strengthening human generation, healthcare systems, and financial resources (Jee & Kim, 2013). This paper other than addressing issues such as cost, access for all individual, life expectance and general health status of individuals living in Japan and U.S.A further provide the weaknesses and strengths of both healthcare systems. Also, it summarizes the research findings for improving both the health care system in U.S.A and Japan.

Health Care System Cost

U.S.A

According to information provided by the International Insurance of America, visitors to American are severely cautioned on purchasing a healthcare insurance plan before they visit U.S.A (LiPuma & Robichaud, 2020). In most situations, the tales are narrated by the United States of American personnel arguing that healthcare in the U.S.A is extra costly. In the United States, services range depending on the kind of department and rooms the patients visit. For instance, if one becomes ill and urgently needs emergency care, the healthcare cost starts adding up adhesively as services ranging from ambulance provision adds to $400. Additionally, if a test is required, the individual pays between $100 and $500 and, if they also need to spend a night in the hospital, they pay $5,000 (LiPuma & Robichaud, 2020). Besides, with medications to treat illness, the cost of the emergency room and the vast visits the authors above argue that it adds to $6,000 and more (Plan et al., 2021). On the other hand, a visit to a doctor in the United States is relatively affordable, as noted by the authors mentioned above. However, on daily visits, the patient will provide an additional cost of $150 for a consultation, and if they need a specialist, the latter adds to $250 for consultation.

Indeed, healthcare costs in the USA are very costly. Whether one is a traveler or a local, the services provided are expensive. Besides, the information provided by the USA today argues that a family of four standard health plans totals $28,166 and is heavily felt by an ordinary person residing in the city (LiPuma & Robichaud, 2020). Additionally, the USA’s healthcare deductible and premiums are growing faster as opposed to the other incomes. Between 2011 and 2016, according to information provided by USA Today, the charges increased by 63% (Plan et al., 2021). The majority of the factors contributing to expensive healthcare costs in the USA, according to Plan et al. (2021), are based on the bottom line donates linked to diagnostic and hospital services such as MRI costing $1,430, angioplasty; $32,200, and immediate surgery; $15,200.

Japan

In Japan, the health insurance average cost is 34-40,000 JPY per month, equivalent to 330-370 USD (Dutta et al., 2020). Additionally, Japan’s health care system incorporates employment-based health insurance, a delivery system, and free consumer choice on physicians. Medical cost in Japan is meager compared to America which further fulfills the healthcare needs of its consumers. One of the reasons behind Japan’s low healthcare cost is the basic structure of its health care system. The strategy helps it constrain its vast expenditures. Also, Japan incorporates an attractive span of healthcare policies and clinical medicine. Japan health care system, according to Dutta et al. (2020), provides costs for its rendered services which are prenatal care, screening examinations, and infectious disease control, which allows Japanese patients to only take care of 30% of the total cost, whereas the government at large provides for the remaining 70%.

Personal medical services payment services for Japanese are offered vastly by Japan’s Universal Health Care Insurance System. Citizens, as a result, are provided with access equality. All Japanese are expected to have health insurance coverage, with those without insurance required to fully participate in the national health insurance program regulated by the local government (Sakamoto et al., 2018). On the other hand, to keep medical services affordable for all citizens, the government regulated set medical fees based on the family’s insured age, income, and patient’s responsibility (Jee & Kim, 2013). Indeed, the medical cost in Japan has been regulated by the government for decades to make it affordable for all citizens. To entirely cut the cost of medical provisions and services, Japan uses generic drugs as of 2010 with the list of drugs presented to the National Health Insurance listing.

Access to Healthcare Services

U.S.A

In the United States of America, every individual can access healthcare services and provisions. The provided healthcare coverage in the U.S.A is built on the foundation of longitudinal and comprehensive primary care (Stoicea et al., 2019). Besides, based on information presented by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act U.S.A has rampantly extended its access to affordable health care coverage to its million citizens (LiPuma & Robichaud, 2020). The significant gains of the act have increased more in vulnerable groups, which include women and girls. The action ensures that all citizens in the U.S.A benefit from set essential health benefits to moving into a more productive society. To make the healthcare services accessible to all U.S.A citizens, the government pays attention to social determinants propounding outcomes to population and individual health.

Also, the nation re-emphasizes the primary care centrality and further reinvigorating primary care infrastructure in the premise. Correspondingly, for every individual to access healthcare services, the United States of America provides comprehensive, advanced primary care for its individuals who include the elderly, children, adults, and youths (Plan et al., 2021). It is an effective model prompting the patient-healthcare provider relationship when receiving comprehensive care. Indeed, everyone in the United States of America has affordable health care coverage, which guarantees all individuals equal access to evidence-based and age-appropriate health care services (LiPuma & Robichaud, 2020). Regardless of their ethical background, everyone receives primary care, though it is critical to understand that healthcare system access in the U.S.A is particularly in private hands.  The U.S.A healthcare system is not uniform since it has no universal healthcare coverage.

Japan

In Japan, access to individual healthcare is incorporated similarly to the U.S.A via private or public hospitals. Additionally, regardless of geographic factors, patients have universal access to any healthcare facility (Jee & Kim, 2013). Though, in Japan, universal access to medical premises has been abused severally. Based on the information provided by the World Health Organization, Japanese patients with mild illnesses will go straight to the nation’s emergency departments instead of accessing more effective primary care services (Dutta et al., 2020).  The latter necessitates the delay of patients with severe conditions or urgent care from receiving critical care. Also, universal access to healthcare systems in Japan has prompted ambulance services misuse. Patients with minor issues continuously take ambulances to the hospital, which further causes the delay of ambulances required for adverse emergencies. World Health Organization notes that in 2017, for instance, nearly 50% of the ambulance rides in Japan’s health care systems were minor conditions (Dutta et al., 2020). On the other hand, the consistently large number of patients visiting public and private hospitals for minor obstacles have created medical resources shortages in Japan. Specifically, in Tokyo, several patients with severe conditions argue that the congestion of people in medical centers creates a shortage of medical resources. Despite the challenges, however, Japan’s healthcare services provide freely for all Japanese citizens, foreigners, and expatriates. Japan’s medical treatment is delivered via universal health care. The healthcare systems are available for all Japanese and non-Japanese citizens, having stayed in Japan for more than a year.

Life Expectancy

U.S.A

In the United States of America, the average life expectancy has dropped adversely by 2020. Based on the information provided by the National Center for Health Statistics and published on the site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the total U.S population life expectancy at birth in 2020 was 77.8 years (LiPuma & Robichaud, 2020). According to LiPuma & Robichaud (2020), it is a drop of 1 year from 2019’s report {78.8} and that of males; the life expectancy at birth was 75.1, a decline of 1.2 years from 2019.

The Coronavirus pandemic caused a decrease in U.S.A’s life expectancy in January-June 2020. On the other hand, the United States of America’s female life expectancy dropped to 80.5 years, a drop of 0.9 years from the 2019 report (Plan et al., 2021). The decline in life expectancy is based on one critical factor, COVID-19. An additional factor is based on the drug overdose surge deaths. The drop in life expectancy is mainly among the Hispanic {-1.9}, White {-0.8} and Black {-2.7} years (LiPuma & Robichaud, 2020). Additionally, the drop in life expectancy has heavily been witnessed among the Hispanic and Black males who, following the COVID-19 pandemic, have indicated disappropriate death rates.

Japan

Japan’s life expectancy as of the 2019 report provided by the World Health Organization is 84.36 years. The life expectancy in Japan is very high (Sakamoto et al., 2018). One of the reasons is the fewer death cases reported from specific conditions: cancers and health diseases. The latter is also linked to fewer deaths from ischemic heart disease, which involves myocardial infarction. Dutta et al. (2020) note that Japanese women’s life expectancy is 87.1 years, whereas men’s is 81.1 years.

In Japan, the lower cases of cancers and ischemic health disease have resulted in low mortality consecutively attributed to low red meat consumption and high consumption of plant and fish foods, including tea and soybeans. Also, in Japan, there is a low rate of obesity among women, 3.7%, and men, 4.8 % (Jee & Kim, 2013). The latter is linked to their consumption rates which mainly focus on plant foods and fish, dairy and bread, animal foods and oils, increase their high life expectancy rates.

General Health Status of an Individual; Infant Mortality, Circulatory deaths, and Unintentional Injury Deaths

U.S.A

Also, the organization mentioned above highlights the significant causes of infant mortality rates. Infant mortality rates in the U.S.A are 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births (LiPuma & Robichaud, 2020). Based on the information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, infant mortality rates are deaths of infants before their first birthday. They are congenital disabilities, pre-term birth, injuries such as suffocation, sudden infant death syndrome, and maternal pregnancy complications. The cases in the U.S.A are high among Non-Hispanic Black, Native Hawaiian, American Indians, and Asians.

On the other hand, the leading cause of circulatory deaths in the U.S.A is heart disease. In the nation, for every thirty-six seconds, a person dies of cardiovascular disease. Each year, the approximation of persons dying from heart disease is 659,000 (LiPuma & Robichaud, 2020). In terms of unintentional injury deaths, in the United States, it is the third leading cause of death. It accounts for 6% of the U.S’s deaths, amounting to 167,127 individuals (Stoicea et al., 2019). The highest rate of unintentional injuries is vast among the elderly.

Japan

In Japan, unintentional injury deaths erupt from accidental poisoning and motor vehicle incidences such as drug overdoses, traffic, falls, and drowning. It is the fourth leading cause of death in Japan after coronary heart disease, pneumonia, influenza, and stroke (Sakamoto et al., 2018). On the other hand, Japan’s circulatory deaths arise from heart failure. In Japan, heart failure is witnessed per one hundred thousand populations. Circulatory deaths have been rampant in Japan as of 2019, totaling 207.7 thousand cases and one to two million persons every year (Jee & Kim, 2013). Also, infant mortality in Japan amounts to about 1.8 deaths per 1 000 live births (Dutta et al., 2020). Two of the primary reasons Japan has the lowest infant mortality rate are linked to its universal use of the maternal-child health handbook and universal access to care.

Weaknesses and Strengths in the U.S.A and Japan’s Health Care Systems

Strengths

The United States health care system is built on a bedrock of equitable access to care. Besides fulfilling the citizens’ wishes, the U.S.A government actively participates in inadequate health care resources supply (LiPuma & Robichaud, 2020). On the other hand, also, the patients receive limited insurance coverage and a minimal waiting list for vast procedures. Additionally, the hospital ensures that healthcare services and provisions rely on efficiency and fairness (Plan et al., 2021).

Japan also has significant strengths in its health care system. It operates on the non-profit business model. According to the national law, the latter requires physicians to be responsible for healthcare management (Sakamoto et al., 2018). Additionally, Japan’s health care system functions via a universal care system. The latter is effective to Japanese and Non-Japanese citizens, and in the process also, the citizens receive free care for various services. Among the free services is the free screening process critical for regulating infectious illnesses and prenatal care. Additionally, the health care system insists that patients applying dialysis and based in Japan have a paramount and longer life expectancy. Besides, in a comparison between the United States and Japanese healthcare system noted that patient with kidney failure has higher life expectancy rate {59%} after five years as opposed to United States {38%} (Jee & Kim, 2013). This is because the national law in Japan forces healthcare to provide the same care standards for all patients.

Weaknesses

In Japan’s health care system, every person pays taxes. While receiving healthcare insurance, individuals’ respective companies withhold their taxes amounting to the set national health insurance system (Jee & Kim, 2013). Additionally, the Japanese health care systems have indicated vast language barriers. The non-Japanese citizens’ population is growing rampantly. The latter is based on cases such as vocational opportunities and educational expansion. Anyone failing to speak Japanese is expected to visit the doctor with a translator or interpreter (Dutta et al., 2020). Also, some experts have argued that Japan’s health care system fails to encourage effective health practices. It is one of the common challenges linked to universal care limiting financial incentives. Additionally, the Japanese healthcare system is well behind in respect to global standards. Most hospitals, despite recent reformation, have outdated control methods.

Based on the information provided by the Common Wealth Fund’s health, U.S.A’s health care system is underperforming primary care (Plan et al., 2021).  IN ITS SENTIMENTS, the U.S.A has a very disorganized, inefficient, fragmented, and under-resourced primary care system. The latter is vivid with primary care physicians’ struggling to receive critical clinical details from hospitals and specialists. It complicates the capacity to provide coordinated and seamless care among patients. Also, U.S.A’s health care system is costly (LiPuma & Robichaud, 2020). People spend more money on health care instead of other necessities limiting their survival and additional life fulfillment.

Summary and Recommendations

In conclusion, healthcare costs in the USA are very costly. Whether one is a traveler or a local, the services provided are expensive. Besides, the information provided by the USA today argues that a family of four standard health plans totals $28,166 and is heavily felt by an ordinary person residing in the city. Additionally, the USA’s healthcare deductible and premiums are growing faster as opposed to the other incomes. Between 2011 and 2016, according to information provided by USA Today noted that the charges increased by 63%. The majority of the factors contributing to expensive healthcare costs in the USA are based on the bottom line contributes linked to diagnostic and hospital services such as MRI costing $1,430, angioplasty; $32,200 and immediate surgery; $15,200. Japan’s health insurance average, on the other hand, the cost is 34-40,000 JPY per month, equivalent to 330-370 USD. Additionally, Japan’s health care system incorporates employment-based health insurance, a delivery system, and free consumer choice on physicians. Medical cost in Japan is meager compared to America which further fulfills the healthcare needs of its consumers. One of the reasons behind Japan’s low healthcare cost is the basic structure of its health care system.

On the other hand, based on the research findings, the U.S.A’s healthcare system is costly and lacks a vital framework for primary care and universal health coverage. Therefore fundamental changes are required to shift U.S’s health care system direction. The approach must cover all citizens and also emphasize coordinated and comprehensive primary care. Fulfilling primary care in the U.S. also means setting more significant investments in primary care. Besides fully supporting primary care, they will also sustain its delivery processes and necessitate its fundamental infrastructure. On the other hand, Japan’s health care system is fragmented, and its accreditation standards are feeble. Therefore, its political regime must set critical features vital for tacking its challenges ranging from supply, funding, quality, and demand. For instance, it should introduce a standardized national system for accrediting and training specialists.

References

Dutta, B., Huys, I., Vulto, A. G., & Simoens, S. (2020). Identifying key benefits in European off-patent biologics and biosimilar markets: it is not only about price!. BioDrugs, 34(2), 159-170.

Jee, K., & Kim, G. H. (2013). Potentiality of big data in the medical sector: focus on how to reshape the healthcare system. Healthcare informatics research, 19(2), 79-85.

LiPuma, S. H., & Robichaud, A. L. (2020). Deliver us from injustice: Reforming the US healthcare system. Journal of bioethical inquiry, 1-14.

US Healthcare System Overview-References. Plan, S., Roundtable, P. R., Advancing, H. E. O. R., & Framework, H. C. (2021). Signal, 05.

Sakamoto, H., Rahman, M., Nomura, S., Okamoto, E., Koike, S., Yasunaga, H., … & Ghaznavi, C. (2018). Japan health system review.

Stoicea, N., Costa, A., Periel, L., Uribe, A., Weaver, T., & Bergese, S. D. (2019). Current perspectives on the opioid crisis in the US healthcare system: a comprehensive literature review. Medicine, 98(20).