Comparative Essay: Healthcare System in Americas Region vs. European Region

Healthcare systems all over the world, no matter their region, have certain elements that allow them to proceed with how their healthcare system functions. It is important to note that while Mexico and the United States are in the same region there will still be differences between them along with all the countries within that specific region. There are many reasons as to why healthcare systems are split into regions rather than individually, the main one being the supply of resources (doctors, vaccines, and medicine) available to assist the citizens living in their country. America's region and European region are drastically different with their perspectives on healthcare; However, there are certain countries that are doing better in both, therefore, there is not one specific region that is doing better than the other which will be looked at through facts, politics evolution, historical prices, and finances. 

The America's region consists of America, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, and Peru which are all countries, besides America, that follow a universal healthcare system. A universal healthcare system can be extremely beneficial for certain countries that want all of their citizens to have access to their healthcare; However, without proper funding a universal healthcare system can fail quickly. Most of these countries were founded in the 1800s and it is important to note that many things have changed since that time period. Justice is what the citizens in the countries need because “increases in medical costs and the number of uninsured people, along with growing concerns about disparities in access to treatment, might bring justice to the fore in the health care debate” (Mathis). One thing each of these countries have in common is inadequate care and a spike in the cost of healthcare. Care is becoming more detrimental and unhinged, especially after the pandemic because the resources are not available physically or financially which create an increase in price to pay off debt that has been accumulated. 

European region

The European region consists of the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Ireland, and Russia all of which have a universal healthcare system that was successful (up until Russia chose to invade Ukraine) financially and was sustainable in the 21st century. It is important to take into consideration that these are all countries that are relatively the same in population with Ireland being below the average and Russia being above the average. Ireland healthcare system has actually been marked “by an intense localism with a multitude of local authorities responsible for institutional and personal health services including boards of guardians, county and city councils and rural and urban district councils” which is influential in the fact that they are quite prestigious and have been successful since the 1900s (Lucey).

Within each healthcare system there are similarities that allow each government to be successful as well as areas within their healthcare system that are struggling. As it may not be the most common to compare, the United States and France are quite similar under a microscopic lens that allows the governments to get a better understanding of universal coverage vs non-universal coverage. According to author, Paul Dutton, they share seven of the same fundamental principles that allow them to be sustainable, and with that being said it is crucial to mention that in france “insurance premiums flow into one of several quasi-public insurance funds that are jointly administered by employer and employee representatives” whereas in the United States “private insurers and Medicare employ “normal and customary” fee schedules to determine payments to physicians” (Dutton). Two other countries that can be compared are the United Kingdom and Canada that have worked closely together for many decades, but have continued to work closely during the coronavirus pandemic. It has been stated that they “continue to work closely together to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and to promote a sustainable recovery for all and equitable access to vaccines” which is important to evaluate that even though they are from different regions they are still able to cooperate with one another to create better health advantages for their citizens” (government of Canada). In addition, they “also work closely together to address global threats and respond to international security challenges around the world” (government of Canada). While only comparing 2 countries from each region there are still going to be similarities that allow each country to remain sustainable. 

Politics are going to continue to play a major role in the evaluation of a healthcare system due to the increasing  involvement of the government in each country. While heavy government regulation is in both the Americas regions and the European regions, the United States has the most complex and interesting stance between conservatives and liberals. In more recent years, from approximately 2015-present day the election to become president and or a part of congress has continued to be more rigorous each year. While the act of politics is becoming a heavily debated topic, it is important to discuss that “The ideological shifts in the congressional parties have occurred alongside geographic and demographic shifts in their composition” because the way a person thinks is very valuable, and when a shift from one side of the spectrum to the other occurs it needs to be studied in a way that determines the variable affected (Desliver). It is also intriguing to compare America to Russia from the fact that Russia has a multi party system that has six members in the federal parliament. Politics play such a great role in a healthcare system because it helps to determine what parts of the country's healthcare system is in the most dire need of help and needs to be fixed. 

The historical evolution between the two regions are drastically different and changed greatly as countries become more industrialized, have created better technology, and have more workers in the healthcare field. While the history between each separate country will be different; when comparing world war one and world war two there are some similarities that created diverse evolution. Throughout the book titled Comparative health system by James A. Johnson, Carleen H. Stoskopf, Leiyu Shi goes into great detail about how specific countries were able to industrialize and create a more sustainable healthcare system after world war one and two. This is due to the fact that some countries had got more access to trade, equipment, more land, ect. This allowed some countries to create a better healthcare system. 

Finances are what allows each country to have the system they have created, as well as how it has been able to change pre and post the world wars. It is completely up to each individual country to determine how much of their GDP they choose to spend on their healthcare system, and while spending a lot of GDP does not necessarily mean a better healthcare system, spending too little can also have detrimental effects on the healthcare system and the citizens. For example, Germany spends roughly 11% of their GDP on healthcare (a good portion) whereas Peru spends roughly 5% of their GDP which is significantly less. However, both countries, even though they are in different regions, are considered sustainable. The amount a country chooses to spend solely depends on how adequate the system was in previous decades and what needs to be fixed. 

Overall, both the America’s regions and the European region are excelling in certain aspects that allow them to perfect their countries overtime, and with that being said, allows the ability for their healthcare systems to grow and become more sustainable for the citizens in their country. A more sustainable healthcare system allows for finances to be relatively stable, a stronger government, and the government listening to the citizens on what needs to be done. It is important that all countries within a specific region work with another to succeed financially and politically to keep sustainability. Withsout sustainability there are chances for countries to fall apart. In conclusion, it is crucial to understand the healthcare systems and the impact they have on an individual country and their region.