Comparing the Public Healthcare policies of Germany and Denmark
Introduction
Health care policy in quite a few of the developing nations has stressed upon the improvement of public health service establishments, that are predominantly funded by the revenues accrued from government tax. For quite a few years since World War II, the attention has focused on the manner in which planning and development of such public investments should happen. The primary aim of this paper is to compare the public healthcare policies of two selected nations of the European Union (EU), namely Germany and Denmark.
Thesis Statement
Runaway spending in healthcare is a serious concern for many healthcare leaders who have been working towards controlling such spending, for quite some now. So, what are the answers to the underlying drivers of the supply and demand in the healthcare service industry? This paper tries to find answers for the above question by comparing the public healthcare systems in two different EU nations namely Germany and Denmark.
Public Healthcare in the European Union
The EU developed new and innovative competencies in the public healthcare field with the advent of the 1991 Maastricht Treaty, which also aided the EU for better global cooperation in this particular segment. Establishment of global information systems, joint action with all the EU member states, and the subsidy offered on the research in the field of medical and health policy have led to better promotion and protection of healthcare. Public healthcare policy in the EU is grounded firmly upon the subsidiarity principle.
Conclusion
Currently, healthcare is in a crossroad in the E U with both challenges as well as opportunities balancing the industry. While almost all the member states are currently confronted with a similar set of challenges, all of them however are continuing to offer highly efficient and quality health services that are extremely affordable. Healthcare systems in the EU are heavily reliant upon traditional, socio-economic, political, as well as cultural traditions of the region. This eventually has resulted in the extensive variations in the organizational arrangements of healthcare amidst various member countries and the same is the case with even Germany and Denmark, two of the EU member states. This paper tries to analyses the varied organizational arrangements in the chosen EU nations, while finding out the lessons that the other nation has from the former’s experiences.
References
Directorate-General for Research and Innovation - European Commission. (2011). Public Health Research in Europe and Beyond. Brussels: Publications Office of the European Union. Retrieved February 07, 2016, from https://ec.europa.eu/research/health/pdf/public-health-research_en.pdf
European Parliament - Directorate General of Research. (1998). Halthcare Systems in the EU - A Comparative Study. Luxemborg: European Parliament. Retrieved February 07, 2016, from http://www.europarl.europa.eu/workingpapers/saco/pdf/101_en.pdf
Jean P. Drouin, V. H. (2008). Cutting costs: The great health-care challenge of the century. McKinsey & Company. Retrieved February 07, 2016, from http://mckinseyonsociety.com/downloads/reports/Global-Public-Health/Whats_Working_in_Health_Care_Reform.pdf
