Summary Of The Documentary 'Sick Around The World'
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The U.S. is amongst the world’s richest countries, however it has one of the worst health care systems when compared to other developed nations. 47 million Americans go without health insurance while health care is still outrageously expensive for those who do have coverage as well. In the documentary “Sick Around The World”, Washington Post representative T.R. Reed travels to five other capitalist democracies - The U.K., Japan, Germany, Taiwan, and Switzerland – to analyze their health care systems in search of solutions to the U.S. health care crisis. Overall, the findings were very interesting. One of the most surprising facts was that insurance companies in the analyzed countries must accept everyone regardless of their medical history or current conditions. Another very surprising fact was…show more content… The Taiwanese system is financed with a national insurance system that citizens are forced to pay into. A positive aspect of their system is that their coverage is very comprehensive and accessible. The national insurance company provides all types of care from basic care to traditional Chinese medicine to new, innovative experimental care. There is no “gatekeeper”, meaning that one does not need to see a general practitioner before visiting a specialist and could directly go to a specialist if they wished to. Also, the waiting times in doctors’ offices and hospitals are extremely low and many offices also have long weekend hours as well. Another positive aspect of the Taiwanese system would have to be its efficiency. All patients receive a smart card upon signing up for their insurance which contains a person’s medical history as well as other