Essay Sample on Healthcare Perspectives: Contrasting Japanese and American Systems

Introduction

Every country desires to have a better and more controlled healthcare system with few issues. In Japan, the healthcare system is better as compared to other Western nations. Medical treatment rates are high (Paxton et al., 2015). For the persons born in Japan, their life expectancy is high compared to those from any other country. On the other hand, the US has health procedures that are fair enough, since it has evolved compared to other countries. For instance, uniform health care does not exist in the US, including universal health care coverage (Paxton et al., 2015). However, it has been recently observed that the US has approved legislation that mandates securing healthcare coverage for every individual.

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The Health System for Children, the Retired, and those Unemployed in Both Countries

The Healthcare system in Japan exceeds one’s expectations since it is one of the best globally. Medical treatment is dispensed through universal health care. It is open to every citizen, including retired and unemployed persons (Nakayama et al., 2015). However, for unemployed or self-employed individuals, they must enroll in the National Health Insurance plan to be effective. Also, their NHI fee is determined based on their earnings. Among other individuals, older people are given free screening procedures for technical diseases and contagious diseases, including prenatal ones.

In the US, Children are covered under various insurance programs. Child Health Insurance Programs and Medicaid are among the medical insurance that covers children, pregnant women, the elderly, and the disabled (Reeves et al., 2015). However, qualification for these covers varies since they are not standardized by the federal government. For the elderly, there are other health insurance covers for individuals aged 65 years and above. Medicare offers medical coverage to all retired full-time workers of more than ten years. For the unemployed, cheaper options such as low-cost CHIP coverage for children may be accessed. Depending on savings and the family size, individuals can access health insurance plans via the marketplace.

Medical Coverage in Both Nations

In the US, an investigation by (CPS ASEC) and the American Community Survey (ACS) in 2017 revealed that 91.5 % of American is insured. Medical insurance in the US covers inpatient medical services, including surgical procedures (Reeves et al., 2015). Specialized medical care for chronic illnesses is better when compared to other Western countries. More so, preventive medicine and accessibility to vaccines for children are handled with grave concern. With advanced technology, medical screening services in the US are effective. However, in Japan, all citizens are eligible for medical insurance, increasing the number of individuals accessing healthcare (Nakayama et al., 2015). The medical coverage provides free screening for contagious diseases, including prenatal care. Unemployed individuals also register with NHIS to be able to have medical coverage. Children are also protected and given intense attention, even older people.

Requirements to Get a Referral to See a Specialist

Japan has no such rule for the certification for a patient to see a specialist. Clinical personnel are required to pass the national exam and also train in general clinical training to completion. When the two requirements are met, a person is free to visit any specialist. However, individuals with an insurance certificate can visit the specialist (Mirkovic et al., 2016). One needs to acquire a written order from the US's primary healthcare provider before visiting a specialist. This directive's relevance is to enhance the accuracy of medical services granted, but it is not mandatory (Sasaki et al., 2015). More so, many insurance agencies only cater to specialist services after being referred by a doctor. However, a referral is not required for emergencies.

The Coverage of Pre-existing Conditions in Both Countries

Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance agencies cannot deny or overcharge patients on pre-existing medical conditions in the US. Insurers term pre-existing conditions as medical issues diagnosed three to seven years ago (Reeves et al., 2016). The benefits arising from the insurance covers inclusively cater to all treatments without limiting any pre-existing illnesses for all individuals covered. Japan, on the other hand, has no penalty regarding pre-existing conditions. Every individual in Japan has entry to healthcare insurance in any case of a pre-existing condition.

Finance Implications for Healthcare Delivery

Health care is more expensive in the US than in Japan (Fujita et al., 2016). Even though both federal and state governments are funding medical insurance in the US, not all citizens are catered for effectively. Japan's healthcare cost is cheaper since the healthcare system in Japan is not devolved compared to healthcare in the US, where some states lack sufficient funds to cover their residents' medical expenses (Reeves et al., 2016). Despite Japan's well-developed healthcare system, the United States is ranked as having the highest spending per capita when it comes to funding health services.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both the Japanese and American healthcare systems are similar. However, there are slight differences in eligibility for medical insurance. Even the unemployed qualify for insurance coverage in Japan, while that is not the US's case. More so, in both countries, there is no legal restriction on accessing specialist medical care and attention. However, insurance agencies in the US will not cater for specialist care without a referral from the primary caregiver.

References

Fujita, M., Sato, Y., Nagashima, K., Takahashi, S., & Hata, A. (2016). Income-related inequality of health care access in Japan: a retrospective cohort study. PloS one, 11(3), e0151690. 10.1371/journal.pone.0151690

Mirkovic, J., Kristjansdottir, O. B., Stenberg, U., Krogseth, T., Stange, K. C., & Ruland, C. M. (2016). Patient insights into the design of technology to support a strengths-based approach to health care. JMIR research protocols, 5(3), e175. 10.2196/resprot.5906

Nakayama, K., Osaka, W., Togari, T., Ishikawa, H., Yonekura, Y., Sekido, A., & Matsumoto, M. (2015). Comprehensive health literacy in Japan is lower than in Europe: a validated Japanese-language assessment of health literacy. BMC Public Health, 15(1), 505. 10.1186/s12889-015-1835-x

Paxton, E. W., Inacio, M. C., Singh, J. A., Love, R., Bini, S. A., & Namba, R. S. (2015). Are there modifiable risk factors for hospital readmission after total hip arthroplasty in a US healthcare system? Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research®, 473(11), 3446-3455. 10.1007/s11999-015-4351-5.

Reeves, A., Gourtsoyannis, Y., Basu, S., McCoy, D., McKee, M., & Stuckler, D. (2015). Financing universal health coverage—effects of alternative tax structures on public health systems: cross-national modeling in 89 low-income and middle-income countries. The Lancet, 386(9990), 274-280. 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60574-8

Sasaki, T., Izawa, M., & Okada, Y. (2015). Current trends in health insurance systems: OECD countries vs. Japan. Neurologia medico-chirurgica, 55(4), 267-275. 10.2176/nmc.ra.2014-0317