GH101 Global Health

Global Implications on Population Health

In a time when borders are transcended by advancing technology, population health is not just affected by local influences. As a health care administrator in the 21st century, you will find that global populations influence local health care practices.

You must consider the threats of infectious diseases and their potential effects to your community. Throughout the years, there have been several major epidemics such as the Ebola virus, the H1N1 virus (swine flu), and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Countries had to work together to find solutions for these global epidemics.

As a health care administrator, you need to consider how political and cultural determinants in the global arena impact population health management. This week, you examine best practices from other countries and consider how you can apply them to the health care system within your country.

Global population health can be defined as an area of study that deals with research and subsequent practices that helps in improvement of health of individuals by providing health equity for all. Global health can be defined as the “collaborative trans-national research and action for promoting health for all”. The key issues that plays an important role in affecting global health and healthcare professionals include the enhanced role of healthcare professionals, need of community health providers, family planning, reduction of child mortality, fight against AIDS and malaria, eradication of polio, worldwide impact of noncommunicable diseases, safety of health workers and development of mobile technologies for promotion of health (Www.intrahealth.org, 2017).

This essay describes the best practices of Germany with respect to global population health and application of the practices to address the population health issues prevalent in the United States of America.

The basic principles governing the healthcare systems in Germany include compulsory insurance, funds obtained from premiums, principles of solidarity and self-governance. The individuals living in Germany generally are required to have a compulsory health insurance. Moreover, the premiums that are paid by employees and employers who are insured generally finance healthcare. Surpluses obtained from tax revenues also contribute in financing healthcare. This is much different from the healthcare systems of the United States of America, since, there people themselves have to carry the burden of treatment costs and subsequently cause losses in their earnings. Additionally they get private health insurances, which also contributes to their financial burden. The principle of solidarity describes that those with statutory health insurances can carry the costs associated with medical care for others with severe illnesses. Thus, it indicates that the rich or healthy individuals can help the poor or sick individuals in the facilitation of medical care concerning finances. The principle of self-governance states that self governing bodies consisting of doctors, hospitals, insurers and insured individuals can carry out roles in the organization and subsequent financing of medical services. Individuals with health insurance are provided with benefits of free medical treatments apart from getting sickness benefits as well as allowances for funerals. Moreover, apart from health insurance, there are also statutory accident insurances, unemployment insurances and pension funds. Another branch of social insurance that was introduced in Germany was the insurance related to long-term nursing care (Www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 2017).

The German healthcare system is categorized into outpatient, inpatient care and rehabilitation facilities. Outpatient care is provided by self employed doctors and other specialists, while inpatient care refers to the fact that patients in Germany are subjected to treatment irrespective of whether they have private or statutory health insurance. Inpatient care also involves rehabilitation for patients with severe illnesses (Blümel & Busse, 2013).

The German government also provides subsidies in hospital stays as compared to the United States. In America, individuals suffer from the Medicaid Gap and as a result remain uninsured, while in Germany, insurance premiums are based on incomes, so those who earn very little, also have to pay very less. In Germany, the infant mortality rate is 3.4 per 1000 live births, while it is 5.8 in the case of the United States. Moreover, the physician and hospital density is higher in the case of Germany as compared to the United States (Www.cia.gov, 2017; Www.who.int, 2017).

 It is necessary for the healthcare system in the United States to reduce the financial burden from individuals concerning medical care by making the healthcare system less expensive and by utilizing the German healthcare principle of solidarity and self-governance to provide effective and equal care to all individuals.

References

Blümel, M., & Busse, R. (2013). The German Health Care System, 2015. International profiles of health care systems, 57-65.

Www.cia.gov. (2017). The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency. Cia.gov. Retrieved 17 December 2017, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gm.html

Www.intrahealth.org. (2017). Top 10 Global Health Issues to Watch in 2014. IntraHealth. Retrieved 17 December 2017, from https://www.intrahealth.org/vital/top-10-global-health-issues-watch-2014

Www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. (2017). Health care in Germany: The German health care system. PubMed Health. Retrieved 17 December 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0078019/

Www.who.int. (2017). Life expectancy. World Health Organization. Retrieved 17 December 2017, from http://www.who.int/gho/mortality_burden_disease/life_tables/situation_trends/en/