DOI: 10.1097/NNA.0b013e3181c18088

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PMID: 19955960

Issn Print: 0002-0443

Publication Date: 2009/12/01


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Japan: Healthcare Model for the United States

Lisa Marsh

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Author Information: Research Nurse, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas; Master of Arts Bioethics Student, Neiswanger Bioethics and Health Policy Institute, Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois.

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Excerpt

In 2003, the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) compared healthcare expenditures for its members, of which the United States is the only member that does not have a universal healthcare plan. Japan spent 8% of its gross domestic product (GDP) on healthcare, whereas the United States spent 15.2%, far exceeding any other member of the OECD. Since 1970, the projected healthcare expenditures seems to have doubled every decade for nearly all countries, with the United States continuing to spend nearly twice as much than any other country and yet continuing to fail in improving healthcare outcomes for its citizens.1
Differences between the United States and Japan are broad in regard to race and culture, yet economically, they are quite similar and, in the future, face an aging population demanding healthcare needs beyond what either country can realistically expect to provide. Early preventive care leads to decreased morbidity and mortality: Japan has found a way to provide this care for all, whereas the United States has not. This disparity between the United States and Japan in effectively meeting the healthcare needs and outcomes of its citizens warrants further comparative analysis.
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