Bismarck Model Nations Include:

Germany

Japan

“The archetypal Bismarck model is the traditional system of Germany, financed by multiple insurers, with employer-based schemes supplemented by the state, in which providers are privately owned and patients have direct access to specialists. “

Source: Bevan, Gwyn, Jan-Kees Helderman, and David Wilsford. Changing Choices in Health Care: Implications for Equity, Efficiency and Cost. Health Economics, Policy and Law 5.3 (2010): 251–267.

Breaking News

• List of Drugs For Which Medicare Will Negotiate Prices Announced
  September 1, 2023 On August 30, 2023, Kaiser Health News reported (“5 Things to Know About the New Drug Pricing Negotiations”): “The Biden administration has picked the first 10 high-priced prescription drugs subject to federal price negotiations, taking a swipe at the powerful pharmaceutical industry. It marks a major turning point in a long-fought battle to control ...
• Learning From Others
  June 14, 2023 Professor Aaron E. Carroll, MD, MS, is the Chief Health Officer of Indiana University. In a guest essay comparing the US health care system with the systems of five other nations that was published June 13, 2023 in the New York Times (“I Studied Five Countries’ Health Care Systems. We Need to Get ...
• Practice Consolidation and Access to Quality Care
  May 14, 2023 The New York Times reports on a growing trend among healthcare organizations in the US, the impact of which may be of concern for patients and taxpayers. The Times reported on May 8, 2023 (“Corporate Giants Buy Up Primary Care Practices at Rapid Pace”) that: “CVS Health, with its sprawling pharmacy business and ownership ...
• Medicaid Re-Enrollment Begins Again
  US states are restarting yearly Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) eligibility reviews. The Kaiser Family Foundation reported on February 22, 2023 (“10 Things to Know About the Unwinding of the Medicaid Continuous Enrollment Provision”): “Primarily due to the continuous enrollment provision, Medicaid enrollment has grown substantially compared to before the pandemic and the uninsured rate has dropped. ...
• The Existential Threat of Greed in US Health Care
  February 7, 2023 The journal JAMA published a Viewpoint on Jan. 30, 2023 by Donald Berwick, MD, MPP, entitled Salve Lucrum: The Existential Threat of Greed in US Health Care. In it, Dr. Berwick contends: “Profit may have its place in motivating innovation and higher quality in health care, as in any industry. But kleptocapitalist behaviors that raise ...
• Oregon Becomes First US State To Guarantee Its Residents Access To Affordable Healthcare
  January 20, 2023 In the November 2022 general election, Oregon voters narrowly approved Oregon Measure 111, the Right to Healthcare Amendment. The measure amended the state constitution, adding a guarantee of access to affordable healthcare for all Oregon residents. According to Ballotpedia, last accessed Jan. 20, 2023: “Ballot title “The ballot title was as follows:“Amends Constitution: State must ...
• Massive Savings Possible In US Health System
  October 21, 2021 The management consulting firm McKinsey & Company has issued a new report estimating that administrative changes and efficiencies could save the US health system more than a quarter trillion dollars. As noted in a Viewpoint article published in JAMA on October 20: “The analysis dissected profit and loss statements of individual health care organizations, estimated ...
• Health Care in the US Compared to Other High-Income Countries
  On August 4, the Commonwealth Fund issued a new report entitled Mirror, Mirror 2021: Reflecting Poorly / Health Care in the US Compared to Other High-Income Countries. The report compares health care systems in eleven nations: the United States, Canada, Switzerland, France, Sweden, New Zealand, Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, and Norway. The report’s key ...
• Medical Debt in Collections in the US
  On July 20, JAMA published an article on medical debt in collections in the US entitled “Medical Debt in the US, 2009-2020.” The researchers found: “In this retrospective analysis of credit reports for a nationally representative 10% panel of individuals, an estimated 17.8% of individuals in the US had medical debt in collections in June 2020 ...

World Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems in the US and sixteen other nations.

Page last updated June 2, 2023 by Doug McVay, Editor.