As an old and long retired American physician, who lived in southern Germany and practiced general Army medicine for five years, I find your video exceptionally good. I was there some years ago, but my wife is a German national who visits home often and has had occasion to utilize emergency care including surgery and hospitalization which charged such a low bill, that her American insurance laughed when they paid the bill. You are living in a good place; please stay there. My American step daughter and her family have also happily lived there the past twenty-some years.
@@canisxv9869 29: In the fifties in Schwäbisch Gmünd and in the sixties in Ludwigsburg and Stuttgart. I hab immeroch Hoimwey nach dem Deutschland. Tschüß
And it´s not just what you get out of it. I´m proud to be taxed high, `couse it makes me feel good that I also provide for others as well. Even if I don´t ever need it. It makes me feel to be a good, caring person without activly doing anything!
@@taylorintransit3421 It´s not only health insurance. Our taxes are also used to provide social insurance in case you can´t work anymore due to accident or a chronic illnes or stuff like that. Most taxes are spent to help other unfortunate people and I can´t say how much I love that concept!
@J 2 Which works rather well with the reintegration of ex-cons, though considering that the reintegration starts before they finished their jail time the term can be misleading. And I'll cap here and just mention that the treatment of criminals is very different from that in the US which further helps. True, it's not perfect, but compared to the US our repeat offender statistic is quite low.
The best thing of our German (and all the European for that matter) health care system is: *the peace of mind!* No one has to even think about money in regards of health issues. We Europeans cannot fathom that in the US Millions aren't insured or underinsured and that Hundreds of Thousands of families go bankrupt every year due to medical bills!
Thank you so much for your video, it’s really interesting! I am a doctor in hospital. Just a few words about the benefits of an additional extra private insurance in Germany. (Private Zusatzversicherung) Basically, it’s not necessary- the treatment is the same, whether you have a private health insurance or a public one. When the insurance companies sell these packages, they will tell you that you get much better treatment, but in 90% that’s not the case. Believe me. Whether it’s cancer treatment, accidents, surgery, chronic illnesses- the only difference between public and private insurance is the room (sometimes you are in a fancy luxury ward as a „private“ patient), sometimes the food, the professor will come to shake your hand and chat with you. But in most cases, the medical procedures are exactly the same. However, if you have mental health issues, these insurances will make a huge difference, and I strongly recommend it. Because there are not enough good psychiatric hospitals and counselors and therapists for the public, but very good private hospitals. They offer much better treatment and you won‘t have to wait long to get help. The public hospitals for mental diseases can be quite depressing, but with private insurance you will be able to get to excellent private hospitals without paying anything extra. Don‘t underestimate this, anything can happen in life...
10:05 about picking up meds at a pharmacy: For prescription drugs the co-payment that the patient has to pay himself is 10% of the cost, but minimum 5 € and maximum 10 €. So a drug that is 4,75 € you pay 4,75. A drug that is 15 € you pay 5 €. A drug that is 75 € you pay 7,50 €. A drug that is 500 € you pay 10 €.
And the copayment per year is limited to 2% of the gross income, you can send all the bills to your healthcare insurance and they will payback the amount which exceeds the 2%. And if you are cronically ill, your doctor must fill out a form for that, instead of 2% you only need to pay 1%. And finally you can also pay 1% of your gross income (deducted by a certain tax free amount) before the next year starts and you will receive a so called "Befreiungskarte", which you show up every time a copayment is asked and you will be exempted.
Cosmetical surgery is covered for restoration purposes e.g. after an accident or an amputation after breast cancer. It is nor covered for sole beauty surgery.
I think this is then the difference between plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery. Plastic surgery would also include reconstruction from accidents and such as well as burn therapy... if I understand this correctly.
As it should be! If you have health insurance, you are more likely to be treated for minor conditions that can turn in to much bigger issues in the future, which will be much more costly. A healthy population is also happier (from an individualistic perspective) and more productive (from an economic perspective).
@@taylorintransit3421 I recommend you to take a private health insurance additionaly to your public health insurance. For example with an additional private health insurance in the hospital you will get a medical treatment from the professor (chief doctor) instead of a possibly unexperienced assistant doctor (which is normally the case with the public insurance). Also you will get better food than in a public hospital-ward and you can choose if you want a single or a double room when you are on the private-ward.
@@janpracht6662 Those are some good points! I can see why someone would choose to have private insurance if you get those benefits and if you are able to afford the extra costs!
@@taylorintransit3421 My parents took this private-health-insurance directly at my birth (special tariff). That is why the monthly contributions for me are still fairly low. As you said also a private insurance for teeth can be rewarding. When you get old this insurance pays you the biggest part for a denture (which is fairly expensive). If your public health insurance does not pay you "professional teeth cleaning" (luckily, mine does twice in a year), the private insurance can pay the costs, also different cosmetic treatments (depends on the insurance).
Great Video, but let me add some things I rarely see mentioned: All the small co-pays that actually do exist, like €5 per Meds prescription, co-pay for ambulance services, co-pays per day in hospital (max 28 days of co-pay per year), are capped at 2% of your net household income per year. This is even reduced to 1% if you have any chronic illnesses. You could say, if you got a so called pre-existing condition, your financial burden is lowered rather than ramped up ... And regarding the everyone has to be insured, something is also often forgotten. When you're unemployed, the state will pickup your health insurance and pay for it, until you find another job. So it is not tied to being employed, lose your job and you're screwed or something like that.
Hello, Jörg. Thank you for your comment! I did speak briefely about the small fees for prescriptions and ambulance transfers, but I didn't know that these fees are capped, so thank you for adding this! I heard that Germany also tried to instate a copay for doctor visits a few years ago (probably before I moved to Germany) but quickly disgarded the fees. I wonder why that is. Your point about unemployment is really valuable! Maybe I will make another video at some point and add all the great points in my comments. (:
@@taylorintransit3421 "...I heard that Germany also tried to instate a copay for doctor visits a few years ago (probably before I moved to Germany) but quickly disgarded the fees. I wonder why that is. ..." Because there was a public outcry as well as protests from doctors who felt overburdened having to cash in from patients and checking who had already paid, who was exempt etc. ans maybe argue with patients. They didn´t want their time wasted for those administrative chores and felt that the relationship of trust between a doctor and their patients came under stress by arguing about € 10.- every quarter.
@@taylorintransit3421 They eventually found out that the co-pay of 10,-€ per visit to a doctor created higher administrative costs than the collected 10,-€ (which btw. had to be collected and processed by the doctor´s office - not the insurance). Doctor´s offices even had to distinguish between those exempt from paying the co-pay (there were a few conditions where people - mainly those with chronic diseases - were exempt from paying the co-pay) So, it was decided to abandon that co-pay after just a few years as it created higher overall costs and unjustifiable additional bureaucracy)
When you get Hartz 4 you have to pay for that also until you reach a limit. There is a reason why so many of them have debts at their health insurance. So, if you fall through the "net" our system isn't perfect and keeps you down. Getting new glasses can be a total luxury for them. And don't forget dentist bills who only are covered bare minimum by insurance.
The lack of changing stations in Germany is not due to "german efficiency" or no frills. Traditionally, we just make less of a fuss about nudity than other countries.
You make a good point. That could very well be the case. But I do stand by my remark on German efficiency, even if only because there is a lot less small talk than in the US. (:
@@taylorintransit3421 Hmm, gonna have to back you on that. Sure, as Gerd stated we definitely have a more relaxed attitude towards nudity, which leads to the conclusion, that there is no point in putting up changing stations, to cover up something, your doctor will see minutes later anyways, as soon as they start examining you. There's is just no point in adding this cost to the process. That is kind of, what efficiency is about, isn't it?^^
It's not only caring or helping people who are sick or less fortunate. There is a "selfish" reason. I want the nurses, bus drivers, all people driving, construction workers, people who maintain trains and bridges, even hair dressers or cooks in a restaurant to feel well. They should not worry about healthcare, childcare, student loans, being evicted.... when they are doing their job.
I don't think it is selfish to want to support the workers whose service you value! Every job (regardless of "prestige") is important for the functioning of society and should be valued!
I think that one aspect is seldom mentioned. Whereas the employer pays your wage in the first six weeks of the sickness, health insurance covers about 80% to 90% of your net wage for another 78 weeks of the same illness in the following 3 years. And - the insurance covers necessary costs - not luxury. If e.g. a cosmetic surgery is needed because of big psychological problems or after an accident it might be covered (but it could mean that you have to prove this need) - just wanting bigger breasts or a prettier nose is not. Precautionary tests that the Health ministerium advises people to have are covered (or if you are in high risk for that) - but if you are one of the hypochonders that such wants to check everything it is not and you might have to pay that out of your own pocket. The dental part covers the costs for the dentist but does not cover e.g. implantations. Third Teeth have a 50% (?) copay that can get smaller if you prove that you visited the dentist regulary of if you do not have enough income. An additional private insurance - you already mentioned that in your video - can cover that costs. But be careful - the cost etc. is risk related. If you start the insurance early it is cheap - else they do not cover already damaged teeth, take a high premium etc.
Thank you for your comment! Those are really great points. Whereas many US Americans could be left unemployed and struggling with medical bills if diagnosed with a chronic or long-term condition, you will be taken care of in Germany. Thanks for the clarification on elective procedures. I didn't have a ton of time to get into it in my video! The fact that health insurance in Germany covers precautionary tests is another example of how the system places importance on preventative care.
Hi Taylor, thanks for your video. I find it very interesting to hear what people from abroad think about how we do things :) Rides in an ambulance costs about 200 to 300€, but the cost is covered by, you guessed it, your healthcare insurance. You might have to pay that yourself under some special circumstances (ie calling them without needing them). Another fascinating aspect of German healthcare is "Kuren". It's something you can ask for for example post surgery as a rehabilitation or when you are a single parent (did that myself) and need a break from your normal life, as a precaution before you have a mental break down. The costs are covered by your healthcare insurance, usually except for your transportation cost to and from the place that Kur is taking place. Some more info here: www.baederkalender.de/gesundheitsinfo/fragen-zur-kur/was-ist-eine-kur/
Hello! Thank you for your comment! That is very true. I think that mental health and physical health and intricately linked, and I think it is great that there are rehabilitation and wellness centers people can go to to find peace.
And everybody in germany has insurance. Even unempoyed people or people who are permanently unable to work due to physical or mental health and disability like me. I am on eight medications and I pay a fee of about 45€ a year so I won't even have to pay the 5€ per prescribtion (you get that if you are chronically ill). So my costs are 45€/year, plus maybe some painkillers or if I catch a bad cold, these meds aren't covered. (Over the counter meds). "Living" in the US would mean "to die" for me.
For many people in the US it does mean a shorter lifespan. There are many many people who choose not to go to the doctor when they are ill, because they know that they can't afford the bills that will surely come afterwards. There are even more people that don't take their prescription medications or ration them. I am grateful that you live in a country that supports your health and well-being!
Ich muss dich enttäuschen. Wir in Deutschland haben keine Versicherungspflicht, aber zum Glück ist fast jeder versichert. Wenn du z. B. von der privaten Krankenversicherung in die gesetzliche willst, weil du sie dir nicht mehr leisten kannst, dann musst du vorweisen können, dass du 10 Jahre gesetzlich versichert warst. Die gesetzliche Krankenversicherung kann dich sonst gegebenenfalls ablehnen. Das passierte einem Freund von mir. Er verlor seine Arbeit und konnte sich die private nicht mehr leisten. Er hatte keine 10 Jahre und so stand er ohne Versicherung da. Er hatte Glück, da seine Hochzeit bevor stand. So kam er in die Familienversicherung. Das ist unfair, aber so will die gesetzliche deren Ausbeutung verhindern. Es gibt ja einige, die in ihrer Jugend wenig für die private bezahlen, aber im Alter wegen Krankheit usw mehr bezahlen müssen. Diese wollen dann um Geld zu sparen in die gesetzliche. Mir tun halt die Leid, die unverschuldet keine Versicherung haben😔
@@cFatoss du kannst dir eine Arbeit suchen, als Angestellter, dann bist du automatisch wieder in der gestzlichen... oder du benatragts ALG II und bist drin... klar oder du heiratest... du kannst z.B. nicht aus der gesetzlichen raus... und dich gar nicht versichern...
@@egal007 Ja natürlich, aber bis ein ALG 2 bewilligt ist dauert es ein bisschen. Die sagen immer 6 bis 8 Wochen bearbeitungszeit. Auch sofort eine Arbeit zu finden ist nicht leicht. 😅 Ich sag ja seine Hochzeit hat ihn gerettet 🙈🤣
one thing I missed (I also lived in CA for 7 years)...here it is NOT optional to be insured - you have to have insurance (you have no choice of opting out) and also the contribution from your salary is pretty in close corridor for any insurance company (and also coverage of essential procedure is regulated - at least minimum - and its mostly all you ever need). And: even if you are uneomployed (or on Kurzarbeit like right now) you still are covered - there is essentially nobody not covered. (for unemployement and Kurzarbeit - the government effectively pas the premium)...which means there is no difficulty now that you can go see a doctor for Covid even if out of job - 100% same coverage. And also minimum coverage of private insurance is the same. As soon as you leave private insurance you have to be back into public...no way you ever would be uninsured. Kids and unemployed partners are automatically covered as part of the family with same premium.
Cosmetical Surgery is covered if there are medical Reasons. You have to pay for a Nos Job or Boob Job if its just for your personal Beauty Reason. But if you have Breathing Problems because of your Nose or Back Problems because of large Breasts the insurance Company will cover all the Costs.
Well... It seems all for a sudden, a lot of Americans are really interested on how Germany works, especially the health care system... I wonder why that is 🤔👍😜
regarding drug costs: there is something that's called "Chronikerregelung" (regulation for chronically ill patients). It caps your payment (all health related payments summed up) to 1% of your income. If you exceed that amount, you don't have to pay anymore (for the current year). This is important if you have e.g. diabetes or are on dialysis. PS: I like the way you identify yourself with Germany :-)
just a comment about the "additional tooth care insurance" (Zahnzusatzversicherung).. The problem with the standard tooth care is, that it only provides "neccessary" care, ie. it only pays for the most inexpensive repair required. Any tooth damage will still be "repaired", but only to the point which is required to stay "healthy". Eg. if one of your teeth needs to be removed, that's it, because you're still "healthy" with one tooth missing. If you do loose more teeth, they will pay for a replacement, but only the cheapest one, ie. dentures or a bridge, which will be fixed to neighbouring healthy teeth (which need to be reduced to their stumps to build a support for the bridge, nasty). This is, where the additional insurance comes into play... they will pay for a more aesthetic solution, ie. for dental implants, and they will also pay for the replacement for one single tooth..
That is very true! I know that I will eventually need more intensive dental work and that makes getting this additional insurance a very smart move! I think that Germans are very lucky that they at least get essential dental care, even if it isn't the best care you can get. A lot of US Americans don't go to the dentist at all because they can't afford it and end up with much more dire health issues. I don't know why oral health care isn't considered a part of general healthcare because they really are interlinked.
Taylor, thank you for the great video. It was really informative and well-delivered. As someone who is in the healthcare field in the US, I'm always shaking my head at some of the ways care is delivered and its quality measured. Sometimes it feels like you can see the ugly compromises found in the absurd policies and rules. In a way, it is these complexities that create a lot of jobs designed to navigate the maze of rules and often-diverging interests. It's fascinating... I guess! If this is an area of interest to you or any of your viewers, feel free to ping me!
German here : I have one question. What happens to people without an insurance, when they get cancer or had a very severe accident? Who pays for that? I mean these are cases, where you have to spend months at the hospital. We don't have to pay a penny. What about you?
cFatoss hospitals have to provide basic care. And there is Medicaid if you can’t afford out of pocket costs. It’s not a good situation. You’ll likely lose all your assets before being approved for assistance.
Hello, Michael. Thank you for your feedback. I can't even really begin to wrap my mind around the complexities surrounding the healthcare industry in the US. I think it is difficult to navigate as a patient, so I can't imagine what it is like as a healthcare professional. I read an article recently about some of the reasons that testing in the US took so long to pick up and continues to be an issue and there was an anecdote about a university that offered their labs for testing, but the hospital they proposed cooperation with declined because of administrative red-tape and the complexities of partnering with an entity they didn't have a previous contractual relationship with. I think when private protocols diminish flexibility so much that you can't properly respond to a pandemic, there are significant flaws to the system that need to be addressed. I don't really understand why the US healthcare industry is so reluctant to adopt policies or procedures that work for other countries. Maybe you understand the culture better than I do.
@@taylorintransit3421 Hi Taylor. Regarding organizations working with one another, it's typical here that companies have to go through a rigorous approvals process before they can work with large institutions. Perhaps that may have played a part. Even with my company, we have a tough time getting an audience with local and state governments because they already have approved firms they work with. When you read and watch the news here, it's obvious that there is no shortage of smart people who understand the tradeoffs in the various proposed solutions. But I think there's a small uninformed minority of people who exercise their right to be heard. And they are speaking loudly and causing political leaders to bend in their direction... away from prudent, science based opinions. Plus, I've been studying why my birth country South Korea has been so successful in responding to the virus. I believe one giant reason is that the general public isn't so skeptical of the government when it comes to warnings and policies about the virus. The public seems to get the magnitude of the problem and I think they have a deeper understanding of consequences of inaction. They went through several pandemics - MERS being the most recent in 2013. It's really frustrating to see people protesting for "liberty" when clearly they don't understand how a virus like this one works.
9:55 Drug prices (for public insured people) are 5€ -10€, if you have a recipe from a doctor. If the products price is less than 5€ you pay yourself. This payments are limited to 2% of your yearly income and to 1% if you are chronically ill.
Your vids are very interesting, not only for Americans. This videos shows us Germans how good we live here. For us is this all total normal. We are afraid if we have to pay 100 euros for glasses. We think, oh no why? We are injured... At the end we have one of best systems in the world and we don't realize that. This vids are eye opener for us. Thank you :)
Drug costs: With a prescription, it's only 5 Euro; really good. Important too: if you get really sick for weeks, yr employer is mandated to continue paying yr full salary for 6 weeks, after which the health care provider pays the salary; around 68% of it for a year. And I def advise getting Zahnzusatzversicherung as early as possible. The younger you start, the cheaper it is; and def worth it: Top quality dental treatment is expensive in Germany; with the extra insurance way easier manageable.
Hello! Thanks for watching my video and for your comment. You make a good point. If you had to stop working because of illness or an accident for any extended period of time in the US, it is more than likely that you will be put on unpaid leave... this is one of the many reasons many people with chronic, terminal, or otherwise serious illnesses go bankrupt. Ugh, I know I should get the extra dental insurance. I don't know why I keep putting it off!
My prescriptions often cost 10 EUR per recipe. Depends on product size. For products I won't survive without and so I pay the double price. Years ago I started to hoard a medication I can get in Spain (holiday trip) who cost even less than the recipe fee here in Germany. Saved me lot of money and time to get a new presciption each 3 months. And yeah, bloodwork shows the products are working.
@@taylorintransit3421 Something to compare Usi's comment to. I pay 10€ for 10 pens of insulin with 3ml each, less than 5€ for needles that last me a month, about 5€ for my medication and 0€ (Zero) for the test stripes to check the blood sugar. So, if you feel unwell, you can freely check your blood sugar if that's out of whack for some reason. Rarely mentioned, if you reach a certain amount you need for medication in a year (I think it was 100€) and are without a job, you can get some of the money you paid back from the insurance company on the public model. So keep those receipts just in case. That includes hospital stay BTW.
@@taylorintransit3421 You can get very cheap dental insurance (private) in Germany if you´re young and you´re covered after a certain time (6-12 month). Even some Krankenkassen have additional insurance.
What you forgot to mention is that there is obligatory nursing care insurance as well. It´s provided by your health insurance provider as well and costs roughly another 3 % of your salary (to be shared between you and your employer). It will cover long term caregiving if needed (not the full costs though, depending on how much capability you´re left with). The majority of doctor´s offices are private which means they are for-profit. If you can´t find a doctor who will accept you within 4 weeks there is the so-called "Terminservicestelle" you can call and they will find one for you. In emergencies (e. g. if in pain) you are obviously entitled to being seen. There are also private health insurances to top up the cover provided by public insurance. They cover the balance of the cost of optional frills like private hospital rooms or that you want to be treated by the head doctor of a hospital rather than his/her underlings.
Another point for clarification: Hospitals (with very few exceptions) will treat publicly as well as privately insured patients. There are no "network"-restrictions.
Hey, Peter. Thank you for providing this additional information. I didn't know that there was a service to find a doctor if you aren't able to find one yourself. Are the private insurances you are speaking of the Zusatzversicherung that I mentioned in the video? Or something different? I suppose it is nice that people have the option of improving their care by paying for an additional insurance. Maybe a bit capitalistic, but to each their own. (:
@@taylorintransit3421 In a sense they aren´t the same as the Zusatzversicherungen offered by statuatory health insurance providers which are not-for-profit. And in a sense they are. Those I refered to are from for-profit companies. And statuatory insurance is acting merely as sort of an agent for the private companies which are for-profit. The main difference is that members of a statuatory insurance will only be offered contracts with the one specific private company their public provider has a contract with. If you don´t want that you need to choose your own which has a downside: you might be rejected for preexistig conditions. The whole system is mostly capitalist (except for state-run hospitals). In oversupplied regions (like e.g. Munich) quite a few specialist doctors went bankrupt (especially internal specialists). But being a capitalist system isn´t necessarily a bad thing if it´s properly regulated. I´d prefer that to the UK´s NHS for instance.
I've been at a colonoscopy (Darmspiegelung) recently and they also had changing booths and these little one-way-panties which are open at the backside. And also if you have a CT or MRT they usually have changing booths.
@@peterparker219 Yes, you are right, X-Ray and MRT and the like all have changing booths! IIt is just, for me they are somehow not "real doctors", because it is "just" diagnosis :-D Silly of me, isn´t it? :-DDD
No, and what should they be good for ? At no other doctor you have to walk around naked. Even at my urologist, I just have to drop my pants for the inspection. What should I change into ? On X-Ray, it's a matter of efficiency. You can X-Ray one patient, while the other one is dressing/undressing. So You can handle maybe 8 people per hour instead of just 4. The devices are expensive. It has nothing to do with privacy. You lock the inspection room for less time, if you change somewhere else.
If you call an ambulance unnecessarily in Germany, this costs ~ 800 euros per vehicle used. So ~ 1,600 euros if an emergency doctor is sent (drives separately) - more if he comes with a rescue helicopter. But you have to assume that this was really an unnecessary effort. A lot of goodwill is used in the calculation. However, it can also have criminal consequences if, for example, this prevents / makes it difficult for another person to save.
I really enjoy your videos. Are you sure you are an American? You structurise and analyse it like a German. I live in Thailand since 17 years and compare the health insurance system with the German. I really like the German system. It's so easy and really save. I hope you are not forced to go to a German hospital. The cost are covered, the medical treatments are OK, but you are a number, not a person. I don't want to criticize the Nurses. They do an excellent job. But in Gemany everything is dominated by effizienty.
Yeah. Public servants, high incommer and self-employed can or must change from public to private insurance. Artists are a completely different deal. However, once you are privately insured it is very hard - if not impossible - to return to public insurance. That basically ensures that people spent less in private insurance when they are young and then switch back once they are charged more because of their age.
Thank you for your comment. I sometimes struggle to see the sense in having private insurance if you aren't obligated to having it even if the care is incrementally better and the waiting times for elective procedures are shorter. I also read an article (a few years ago now) that said that private health insurance is also getting more and more expensive.
@@taylorintransit3421 I haven't heard that yet. But currently, people are more worried their doctors might suggest unnecessary treatment. Like in the US insurance companies have switched to a system, where your doctor has to a certain amount of treatments s/he is able to prescribe. For example a lot of elderly with leg issues are worried to get knee cap replacements although it is unnecessary only because it's the only thing available to their doctor.
It's not that hard to switch back. If you take a job that pays less than the ~60000€ / year or reduce your hours in your current job to drop below that margin, you are by law required to get public insurance. If you are married and quit your job, you could join her public family insurance for a time and then go back to public insurance.
@@taylorintransit3421 An artist has the option to be insured through the KSK (Künstlersozialkasse) btw, which pays 50% of the insurance cost, which normally would be paid by the employer. So if you are officially registered as a freelance artist and your health insurer is AOK, for instance, you submit the necessary documents to KSK and fill out a ton of forms (and there are a LOT *lol*) and then you have to pay 50% of the insurance costs based on your estimated income for the year to KSK, which will add another 50% and send 100% to AOK. The service remains the same.
Even cosmetic surgery sometimes is covered if the person has big problems in their everyday live because they are disfigured or something that is not just to be more beautiful
Hello Taylor. Your video covers the German health system very well! But please let me add one important point: Once you have children, they will also be insured automatically for the same 7.5% of your paycheck that you pay today. This would also be valid for your husband, in case he is unemp!oyed. Regards, Wolfgang
The main point is that everyone is insured at the same percentage no matter what's his risks. This compensates for different risks because a state needs bank employees and people that build streets. But the later have a way higher risk of getting sick due to his work than the former. Second point is that the compensation for medical errors is limited to a sensible amount. America is often talking about insurance costs but the main problem in America are costs for medical services.
German soldiers have something called "freie Heilfürsorge (free medical care)". They are medically cared for by the Bundeswehr medical team. All medical expenses are paid for by the Ministry of Defense.
that even goes for all civilian tests made on soldiers, when they are sent by the military medical team in my service time I had a hard hit to the head by a log and was carried by a civilian emergency helicopter to a civilian clinic
The most striking difference of the two healthcare systems is the fact that the US system is 'for profit' - it's all about denying care to pay higher interest to the shareholders .... it's actually a disgusting thought for most people in Europe. As other comments mentioned the second reason for our system to be a lot better is that it's compulsary - no one [almost, to be honest, it is about 99%] will be allowed to be without it. What you didn't mention is the difference of paid leave around pregnancy, child birth and the post partum treatment: Everything paid for, no extra charges no matter how complicated the procedures may be, and paid free time 6 weeks before & up to 1 1/2 years after birth. The only charge a couple has to pay is if they want an ultra-sound picture taken each month instead of every other month - which is provided for free .... ------------------------------ I like the way you present your information. It shows thoughtfulness and precision of preparation for the actual video.
And because you are already there, we do not forget the 10 children's sick days for each parent per child (or 20 days for single parents) . Or the possibility to apply for a cure every 3 years or so, that is not considered rehabilitation after an accident or an operation.
Hello! Thank you for watching and your input. I completely agree with your assessment of the US system... I think there is a real lack of empathy in many US institutions, and I struggle to wrap my mind around this. Great minds think alike! I purposefully didn't get into pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care because the topic deserved much more time and care! I just posted a whole video on the topic today. (:
@C J If someone visits the doctor constantly in our system this person must really have massive health problem! You should feel sorry for that person instead of decrying having to pay a lump sum much lower than any *for-profit* US insurance. In order for the system to work it is necessary to include everyone with a payment proportional to their income, no matter what age. If you expect to be taken care of without additional payments in case of an emergency you don't have a choice - *it is called "solidarity"* and requires that you understand that this is a way of being grateful for your own health as long as you don't need help - but you won't stay young forever - think of how much it will cost when you are old - who is going to pay for the expensive treatments you (may) need? My old High School buddy pays $ 1,200 / month and his co-pay for insulin, blood pressure drugs, and drug s he needs due to quadruple bypass surgery eats up the total of his social security check! If his wife wasn't there to support him he'd be dead by now. In comparison: I do pay 240 € (approx.260 US$) per month, don't take any drugs and I don't mind paying this - and even if one day I had a heart attack or else I would not pay more than what I'm paying now. Let's just take child birth, a topic covered in this Vlog: Payments for the new parents on average > US$ 5,000 - here with 'socialised medicine "0" .... Let's assume these parents earn 2000 / month and have to pay (single payer system) 16% of their income = 320 €, half of which is paid for by their employer, leaves them with 160 /month - now we divide 5000 by 160 = approx. 31 months of payment. Plus every check on the baby and all vaccinations are paid for by the health insurance .... now just think the mother would have needed a cesarean section for 45,000 US$ minimum and figure out where the couple would be financewise .... The health insurance companies want you to first think of paying for someone else - this distracts from their outrageous premiums and co-payments and exclusions of pre-existing health issues .... they want the profit, not your well being!
@C J OK, I am sure once you are my age (74, and not an indoctrinated youngish european) you will look at this from a different angle. My 'story' is not some fake news from Europe - I've lived in the USA for 5+ years in all and taught Marketing & Sales at a renowned University. Those figures are real, from real people I knew - first hand! My friend has worked his ass off for his company and just before they would have had to pay him a decent additional pension they laid him off one year before that date after 24 years of hard work with almost no vacation time. He did not smoke or drink. Has been in the outdoors on the lake or in the woods in the short hours he had when not working. Now you tell me where he did things wrong. - ".. Pharmaceutical drugs are not the answer. I will never use them .." - but you do take supplements? And you are aware that *everything* you eat is a chemical substance? As is your total body. - " .. Also, the cost of living in the US is significantly cheaper .. " - wrong, on average it is about one third more expensive than in most European countries. And the food quality is abysmal - quantity not quality, and don't get me started on the fluffy white stuff Americans call "bread" ... - You may not have heard of high co-payments - but this is no proof they don't exist. See this → czcams.com/video/zHcwOgbsBYk/video.html Just wait until the main wave of Covid-19 deaths start, what you see today is just the beginning. There will be 15,000 to 20,000 people dead each day (!) starting a bit lower in late April, rising in May and June .... too little effort & too late and nobody will be able to get on a respirator because the hospitals weren't able to pay for their upkeep. See this → czcams.com/video/ltQwFWZ8ciE/video.html "Socialized Health Care" would have prevented this - just look at the numbers. See this → czcams.com/video/DU8xwz9QgNQ/video.html I'm not going to point out where else you get things wrong as I realize that this would not make a difference in your line of thought. If your time allows you should watch more channels from expats & military wives that compare the US with Germany and I'm sure you will be surprised to learn that almost all of them (even the military wives vlogging!) will support what I wrote about cost & health & quality of food ... The Unites States used to be a great nation until the late 60ies. Not any more. It's an empire dying slowly but surely, and Mr. Trump is just the last nail on the coffin.
@C J "This system is of course funded elsewhere" - No, it is not. It is funded by the ca. 15% of your total income (ca. 7.5% beeing paid by you, 7.5% beeing paid by your employer) by all insurance members. Where did you get this idea? This sounds like a conspiracy theory... The insurance payment for unemployed people is beeing paid by the unemployment insurance and there are some cases, where the government pays for the health care insurance (like e.g. students whose split and moved away from their families). The percentage varies form insurance company to insurance company and it is regularly discussed (or better: it is fought) with the government, if they are allowed to increase the numbers for the upcoming year(s). In order to succeed, they have to prove, that their total funding is to small to cover all of the costs (their administrative costs are capped and are not allowed to be the main reason for that). Sometime it's funny, because you hear that insurance companies made a surplus in the news, and during the next week, you will hear them whine, that they made a deficit and want to increase that percentage for the upcoming season during the news. Thankfully they are not allowed to do that by themselves, or else we would definitively have to pay much more right now.
I have additional insurance for dental work, because I have really bad teeth. But I chose not to get any other additional ones. Especially the one for private rooms in hospitals is only worth the cost if you are in hospital quite often. If not, it is much cheaper to just pay the surcharge for the private room yourself. It is not that expensive.
Soldiers in Germany have NO health insurance! Soldiers have free medical care - this means that soldiers in military hospitals are treated free of charge and also receive the medicine from military pharmacists for free. Health insurance must be taken out for family members. Similar rules apply to police officers, professional firefighters and law enforcement officers. These are not covered by health insurance either, but the state bears all costs.
As far as I know, when you call an ambulance here in Germany, if the doctors/medics decide you need to be taken to the hospital, you won't have to pay anything. Only if they decide you're fine you have to pay, idk, 100 bucks. Sometimes they will take you anyways tho because eg if someone was just being careful and thought you might have a heart attack or smth but it's definitely smth else from the doctor's point of view, they don't want you to get punished for just being cautious. Not that I ever had to call an ambulance thankfully. Just smth I heard.
Nice Video, but not that detailed sometimes (as far I picked it up). First one - the state will always insure you. Unemployed, homeless whatever... if you register for free medical aid - you will always get it (almost) for free (@ Jörg Helmes covered that topic in the comments greatly). If you live on public assistance (Hartz IV, Sozialhilfe etc.) healthcare is totally free to you. And secondly... ALL healthcare providers (Krankenkassen) provide the same medical necessary services to you. Only on top of that they will differ on what special programs (like free gym memberships, or special bonus programs for taking no sickdays whatever) they offer to their customers.
I wanted to add something about the drug/medicine prices. Ppl that have to take a lot of medication and even with the low prizes, how you mentioned correctly, aren't able to afford them, they can apply to the state for an exemption from paying the fees, because having to pay let's say 50-60€ a month can still be a challenge to some. And after their monthly income and outgoings have been checked and verified, they can get the medications for free
A ride on an ambulance costs 10€ for me and I am not on a private assurance. A day in the hospital with prescriptions is also a tenner. But probably still cheaper than many other countries. So I don't bicker about taxes when they support the health care system. With a good income I pay several hundred € a month for my family. Still cheaper to what I was offered in North America.
might be a bit late to comment on your video since its from april, but i d like to mention smt you probably didn t see , the german patient isn t a customer, like they would be in the US, the german patient is the ware, the insurance company is the customer, so if you have an interesting (expensive) condition, you get all the care they can sell to your insurer, but for genreal needs, like idk, gallstones, an about to rupture appendix or just regular checkups, your just treated like a cow going to the milkstand. Another thing to mention is, that if you have an emergancy in germany, the costs are capped at 30€ for the emergancy, so if a hospital wants to make some money, they ll keep you at least a day longer just to make up for the diagnostic costs.
There is no special health insurance for high risk professions like soldiers or such. What you probably mean is the special health insurance system for "Beamte", which means public officials. They don't pay any health insurance, their health costs are covered up to 90% by their employers (communities, armed forces, police, federal organisations, etc.). Most of them insure the remaining 10% privately. They have virtually the same coverage and benefits like privately insured people, and that is part of the benefits and incentives to become a "Beamter". On private insurance: You do not necessarily need a high income to be eligible for private insurance. Being self employed is enough, regardless of what you earn. Only employees need to earn a certain amount of money (presently something close to 7.000 € per month) to become eligible for that. Nearly everybody who did opt for private insurance regrets that choice when they reach an age of 60+ because by then it becomes really expensive and can easily reach twice or even triple the amount of public insurance rates, but by then it is to late to switch back to public insurance (what never is easy), because there is no way to switch back when you are older then 55. The reason for that is, that private insurance is really cheap when you are young, and you are not allowed to take advantage from that and later also the advantage of relativly low public insurance rates for older people as well. Last but not least, there are people in Germany without health insurance. Most of them are job- and homeless, but some are formerly self employed people who under certain circumstances can fall through the social security net in Germany. We are talking about some 80.000 people here.
for Soldiers it's actually different, as the armed Forces have their own medical system, they are treatet in this system,... but if that is not possible the soldiers are sent to civilian medical treatment, which is paid for by the Ministry of Defense
Hello! Thank you for your comment and for the clarifications! To your last point, it is unfortunate, but I feel like there is no society that has solved the problem of people falling through the cracks. Germany has however reduced the rate of uninsured to 0,2% (statistic was from 2008 so this may have changed) compared to 18% in the US. That being said, there is always room for improvement and there are still many advancements to be made!
Our health care system incentivises others to stay healthy. Take obesity for example. Its nothing wrong to say to them they unhealthy, because of the reason they are a burden on society and will cost the society more. This system works, because we believe in it. So when everyone has the attempt to stay healthy it will cost the society less overall and for the ones really in need there will be always help. I still remember when we were in the skatepark at 14, we always had in our back mind 'someone will call an ambulance I will be fine' when trying something extremely risky. Edit: Keep in mind germans have health insurance for workers and their familys since 1883.
I'm very interested in how Botox for migraines is/isn't covered. In the US, I've been getting Botox for migraines (via my neurologist) for 6 years and it is the *only* thing that has kept me from being totally disabled because of how bad my migraines are. I have to get it once every three months and it's currently totally covered here in the US, but in Germany, I'm not sure if it'd be covered or if it'd be considered "cosmetic" surgery (as it is still seen in a lot of places). No one's been able to give me a clear answer.
Private insurance in addition to public health insurance makes sense. A solitary private health insurance is cheap when you are young and healthy. When you get older, you are a risk for the insurance and the fees increase immensely. I work at a mobile nursing service, and I can see that the elderly with private insurance have to pay up to 900 € per month each, but their pension is a lot smaller than their working income was before. So in the end, they have to give up a lot of improvements of the private insurance (Professor, single bedroom etc.) to get lower fees, just when they need it. And they can't return to the public health system. - By the way: a Professor is often not the best physician only because of his title, especially when he is in a leading position. He then has to focus more on administration than on patients. I prefer Oberärzte (senior physicians) that are always around and have most experience.
Hi, Tom. You make some very good points. I always thought that the leading physician would be best, but if they aren't practicing as much, because they have more administrative duties, that would probably affect their skill levels in the end! Is there any way that people that are thinking about private insurance can see what their future costs will be (even if they are just estimates)?
How the German system compares to Scotland? I've heard Scotland manages health insurance thru municipalites, as opposed to England, which is more centralized.
To be honest, I am not sure what the difference is between coverage in England and Scotland. I assumed that they would function the same as they are both under the NHS.
Great video, Taylor! What would you say to US people telling they don't want to give their money to an solidary health system like the german one to make abortions and other treatments they don't want support for other people possible?
let me answer from Germany: I would say, if someone has an acident f.e. because of alkohl, he/she gets help; someone fall of a wall, because not sportif... equal... nobody even askes such questions, because we all have so great benefit out of this solidarity... and we are under the law... if the law says yes to aportion, so what... than you have do fight against this law and not gainst healthcare... sorry bad english... greetings
@@egal007 Hum... today I watched that interesting video. I think since then the challenge of discussing with a US citizen is bigger :-) czcams.com/video/4VZKISIAct4/video.html
Hi Miss Taylor the sad truth is that the US government does not really care about the American people. sad but true may all living creatures be happy and free from suffering regards Mr Michael Carmichael
Hi,as a retired person you still need health insurance to stay in Germany permanently. Unfortunately you need private insurance if you don't work. For older people the insurance is about 500€ a month
Hello! Thanks for watching my video! I'm a bit confused. You are a retired veteran, but you don't plan to work once in Germany? I mean, if this is financially feasible for you both, then it wouldn't be a problem necessarily moving to Germany. There are quite a few online resources for retirees. (transferwise.com/us/blog/guide-to-retiring-in-germany) If you are unemployed in Germany, you will receive public health insurance and other benefits, but you will also have to be actively searching for a job... Another concern, which you will have to research, is whether it is possible for you to receive any social security or benefits (that you have technically earned while working in the US). I know that if you work in Germany, you can move abroad and still get pension and social security payments, but I'm not sure about the US.
@@taylorintransit3421 It is very feasible. We are not interested in benefiting financially from the social programs. Just want to live in peace, help those who need it, and keep to ourselves. Thanks to all who replied to me. I really appreciate it.
Go to Hungary, e.g. Budapest and get your teeth made there for a sixth of what you would pay in Germany, because public healthcare doesn't cover that...and the Zusatzversicherung in the long run is more expensive!
I have actually heard of some people seeking care in other countries, but they are usually US citizens going to other countries, not Germans. I will have to look into that if I'm ever headed out to Hungary. Although, I'm not sure I will want to have dental work done while I'm on vacation :D
@@taylorintransit3421 There are vacations in Hungary you can book where you get a nice hotel in Budpest, a tour guide, visits to the sightseeing sites and get your teeth done. Full service so to say. ^^
I got my eyes lasered in Budapest in 2006. Much cheaper than here in Germany, and absolutely professional, even with German speaking Doctors. And I fell in love with Budapest (wich was my grandfather's home town anyways).
Emergency services are very fragmented. Ambulance providers can be public or private and the cost depends on whether you have insurance, what insurance you have, and sometimes even if the ambulance provider was within your network. Here is an interesting article: www.nytimes.com/2013/12/05/health/think-the-er-was-expensive-look-at-the-ambulance-bill.html
@@taylorintransit3421 that's the same in germany, there are public and private ambulance providers but besides some exceptions they all get the same payment from the insurance company (the exception being the Armed Forces Ambulances and Emergency Helicopters, they don't charge you at all)
I wonder if there are stats for how many US expats live in Germany. I have only met one other US American in the city I live. I am sure there are move in the south.
German doctors not being polite: A polite doctor, in my opinion, is incompetent. When I go to a doctor, I have a problem, and I want it fixed HERE and NOW.
sorry but just because someone is polite does not mean he is incompetent. there are doctors that sometimes are not great with ppl but are fantastic when they are operating for example. politeness has nothing to do with being agood doctor.
I personally believe that bedside manner is really important, because someone's health is very personal to a person. But if you don't need your doctor to make a connection, then this is your personal choice and I am sure you can find a doctor who is more direct and to the point. (:
@@taylorintransit3421 i personally prefer when doctors that are direct. I think that depends on everyone experience. I had also doctors who made fun and were easy going. But he also was not that accurate. Actually it was my form gyn whome I changed after he asked at my next checkup what my results were when he checked on something. He forgot to write this results in my chart. So that's why I prefer more direct doctors. But that's my experience. 😉
> A polite doctor, in my opinion, is incompetent. When I go to a doctor, I have a problem, and I want it fixed HERE and NOW. What a nonsense. By far not all "issues" can be fixed HERE and NOW. Wait for the moment your doctor says to you "You have cancer". There is nothing to fix here and now. Our doctor is competent and very polite and i always have a very personal smalltalk with him. My wife has been very sick three years ago, but hardly anybody could find out what it was. She was sent to a hospital and they tried everything and could not find the reason (the "Blutwerte" (blood values?)) detoriated dramatically etc. and one week after she was sent to the hospital, our doctor called me per phone and asked about my wife. He also had a few more assumptions and he was very polite and interested in helping us. Why should he be "imcompetent" due to his politeness? Thats plain nonsense!
As an old and long retired American physician, who lived in southern Germany and
practiced general Army medicine for five years, I find your video exceptionally good.
I was there some years ago, but my wife is a German national who visits home often
and has had occasion to utilize emergency care including surgery and hospitalization
which charged such a low bill, that her American insurance laughed when they paid
the bill. You are living in a good place; please stay there. My American step daughter
and her family have also happily lived there the past twenty-some years.
Where in southern Germany???? I live there atm btw^^^
@@canisxv9869 29: In the fifties in Schwäbisch
Gmünd and in the sixties in Ludwigsburg
and Stuttgart. I hab immeroch Hoimwey
nach dem Deutschland. Tschüß
And it´s not just what you get out of it. I´m proud to be taxed high, `couse it makes me feel good that I also provide for others as well. Even if I don´t ever need it. It makes me feel to be a good, caring person without activly doing anything!
Thanks for your comment. I agree that I am not opposed to higher taxation if it means I can do my part to make sure everyone has access to healthcare!
@@taylorintransit3421 It´s not only health insurance. Our taxes are also used to provide social insurance in case you can´t work anymore due to accident or a chronic illnes or stuff like that. Most taxes are spent to help other unfortunate people and I can´t say how much I love that concept!
@J 2 Which works rather well with the reintegration of ex-cons, though considering that the reintegration starts before they finished their jail time the term can be misleading. And I'll cap here and just mention that the treatment of criminals is very different from that in the US which further helps. True, it's not perfect, but compared to the US our repeat offender statistic is quite low.
That's what the Hillbilly-minded in usa call"socialism" ;-)
Something needs to be done about the US primary and secondary school syllabus.
The best thing of our German (and all the European for that matter) health care system is: *the peace of mind!* No one has to even think about money in regards of health issues. We Europeans cannot fathom that in the US Millions aren't insured or underinsured and that Hundreds of Thousands of families go bankrupt every year due to medical bills!
That is a very good point! The peace of mind in knowing that you have access to affordable and high quality healthcare is priceless!
Working for 11 months and getting paid for 12 is also good for the disposition.
Thank you so much for your video, it’s really interesting! I am a doctor in hospital.
Just a few words about the benefits of an additional extra private insurance in Germany. (Private Zusatzversicherung) Basically, it’s not necessary- the treatment is the same, whether you have a private health insurance or a public one. When the insurance companies sell these packages, they will tell you that you get much better treatment, but in 90% that’s not the case. Believe me. Whether it’s cancer treatment, accidents, surgery, chronic illnesses- the only difference between public and private insurance is the room (sometimes you are in a fancy luxury ward as a „private“ patient), sometimes the food, the professor will come to shake your hand and chat with you. But in most cases, the medical procedures are exactly the same.
However, if you have mental health issues, these insurances will make a huge difference, and I strongly recommend it. Because there are not enough good psychiatric hospitals and counselors and therapists for the public, but very good private hospitals. They offer much better treatment and you won‘t have to wait long to get help. The public hospitals for mental diseases can be quite depressing, but with private insurance you will be able to get to excellent private hospitals without paying anything extra.
Don‘t underestimate this, anything can happen in life...
10:05 about picking up meds at a pharmacy:
For prescription drugs the co-payment that the patient has to pay himself is 10% of the cost, but minimum 5 € and maximum 10 €.
So a drug that is 4,75 € you pay 4,75. A drug that is 15 € you pay 5 €. A drug that is 75 € you pay 7,50 €. A drug that is 500 € you pay 10 €.
Schade dass dein Kommentar so wenig Aufmerksamkeit bekommt. Wichtiger Punkt und gut erklärt 👍
And the copayment per year is limited to 2% of the gross income, you can send all the bills to your healthcare insurance and they will payback the amount which exceeds the 2%. And if you are cronically ill, your doctor must fill out a form for that, instead of 2% you only need to pay 1%. And finally you can also pay 1% of your gross income (deducted by a certain tax free amount) before the next year starts and you will receive a so called "Befreiungskarte", which you show up every time a copayment is asked and you will be exempted.
Cosmetical surgery is covered for restoration purposes e.g. after an accident or an amputation after breast cancer. It is nor covered for sole beauty surgery.
I think this is then the difference between plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery. Plastic surgery would also include reconstruction from accidents and such as well as burn therapy... if I understand this correctly.
It´s not only a right to be insured in Germany, it´s an obligation!
As it should be! If you have health insurance, you are more likely to be treated for minor conditions that can turn in to much bigger issues in the future, which will be much more costly. A healthy population is also happier (from an individualistic perspective) and more productive (from an economic perspective).
Same goes for cars. You can't drive a car without being insured. In the U.S. that is not the case as far as I know?
@@taylorintransit3421 I recommend you to take a private health insurance additionaly to your public health insurance. For example with an additional private health insurance in the hospital you will get a medical treatment from the professor (chief doctor) instead of a possibly unexperienced assistant doctor (which is normally the case with the public insurance). Also you will get better food than in a public hospital-ward and you can choose if you want a single or a double room when you are on the private-ward.
@@janpracht6662 Those are some good points! I can see why someone would choose to have private insurance if you get those benefits and if you are able to afford the extra costs!
@@taylorintransit3421 My parents took this private-health-insurance directly at my birth (special tariff). That is why the monthly contributions for me are still fairly low.
As you said also a private insurance for teeth can be rewarding. When you get old this insurance pays you the biggest part for a denture (which is fairly expensive). If your public health insurance does not pay you "professional teeth cleaning" (luckily, mine does twice in a year), the private insurance can pay the costs, also different cosmetic treatments (depends on the insurance).
Great Video, but let me add some things I rarely see mentioned:
All the small co-pays that actually do exist, like €5 per Meds prescription, co-pay for ambulance services, co-pays per day in hospital (max 28 days of co-pay per year), are capped at 2% of your net household income per year. This is even reduced to 1% if you have any chronic illnesses. You could say, if you got a so called pre-existing condition, your financial burden is lowered rather than ramped up ...
And regarding the everyone has to be insured, something is also often forgotten. When you're unemployed, the state will pickup your health insurance and pay for it, until you find another job. So it is not tied to being employed, lose your job and you're screwed or something like that.
Hello, Jörg. Thank you for your comment! I did speak briefely about the small fees for prescriptions and ambulance transfers, but I didn't know that these fees are capped, so thank you for adding this! I heard that Germany also tried to instate a copay for doctor visits a few years ago (probably before I moved to Germany) but quickly disgarded the fees. I wonder why that is.
Your point about unemployment is really valuable! Maybe I will make another video at some point and add all the great points in my comments. (:
@@taylorintransit3421 "...I heard that Germany also tried to instate a copay for doctor visits a few years ago (probably before I moved to Germany) but quickly disgarded the fees. I wonder why that is. ..."
Because there was a public outcry as well as protests from doctors who felt overburdened having to cash in from patients and checking who had already paid, who was exempt etc. ans maybe argue with patients. They didn´t want their time wasted for those administrative chores and felt that the relationship of trust between a doctor and their patients came under stress by arguing about € 10.- every quarter.
@@taylorintransit3421 They eventually found out that the co-pay of 10,-€ per visit to a doctor created higher administrative costs than the collected 10,-€ (which btw. had to be collected and processed by the doctor´s office - not the insurance).
Doctor´s offices even had to distinguish between those exempt from paying the co-pay (there were a few conditions where people - mainly those with chronic diseases - were exempt from paying the co-pay)
So, it was decided to abandon that co-pay after just a few years as it created higher overall costs and unjustifiable additional bureaucracy)
@@MHG1023 That makes a lot of sense! Thank you for the explanation!
When you get Hartz 4 you have to pay for that also until you reach a limit. There is a reason why so many of them have debts at their health insurance. So, if you fall through the "net" our system isn't perfect and keeps you down. Getting new glasses can be a total luxury for them. And don't forget dentist bills who only are covered bare minimum by insurance.
The lack of changing stations in Germany is not due to "german efficiency" or no frills.
Traditionally, we just make less of a fuss about nudity than other countries.
You make a good point. That could very well be the case. But I do stand by my remark on German efficiency, even if only because there is a lot less small talk than in the US. (:
@@taylorintransit3421 Hmm, gonna have to back you on that. Sure, as Gerd stated we definitely have a more relaxed attitude towards nudity, which leads to the conclusion, that there is no point in putting up changing stations, to cover up something, your doctor will see minutes later anyways, as soon as they start examining you. There's is just no point in adding this cost to the process. That is kind of, what efficiency is about, isn't it?^^
Indeed. The only reason why I could think of having a changing station is to hide the lingerie. The doctor will see what is under it anyway. ;)
And btw efficiency is not a bad thing.
The US Society is practicing social Darwinism. And if you want general access to the health system you are a Communist. Rather odd.
It's not only caring or helping people who are sick or less fortunate. There is a "selfish" reason. I want the nurses, bus drivers, all people driving, construction workers, people who maintain trains and bridges, even hair dressers or cooks in a restaurant to feel well. They should not worry about healthcare, childcare, student loans, being evicted.... when they are doing their job.
I don't think it is selfish to want to support the workers whose service you value! Every job (regardless of "prestige") is important for the functioning of society and should be valued!
@@taylorintransit3421 by selfish I mean: I don't want them to screw up their job and harm me.
I think that one aspect is seldom mentioned. Whereas the employer pays your wage in the first six weeks of the sickness, health insurance covers about 80% to 90% of your net wage for another 78 weeks of the same illness in the following 3 years.
And - the insurance covers necessary costs - not luxury. If e.g. a cosmetic surgery is needed because of big psychological problems or after an accident it might be covered (but it could mean that you have to prove this need) - just wanting bigger breasts or a prettier nose is not. Precautionary tests that the Health ministerium advises people to have are covered (or if you are in high risk for that) - but if you are one of the hypochonders that such wants to check everything it is not and you might have to pay that out of your own pocket.
The dental part covers the costs for the dentist but does not cover e.g. implantations. Third Teeth have a 50% (?) copay that can get smaller if you prove that you visited the dentist regulary of if you do not have enough income.
An additional private insurance - you already mentioned that in your video - can cover that costs. But be careful - the cost etc. is risk related. If you start the insurance early it is cheap - else they do not cover already damaged teeth, take a high premium etc.
Thank you for your comment! Those are really great points. Whereas many US Americans could be left unemployed and struggling with medical bills if diagnosed with a chronic or long-term condition, you will be taken care of in Germany.
Thanks for the clarification on elective procedures. I didn't have a ton of time to get into it in my video! The fact that health insurance in Germany covers precautionary tests is another example of how the system places importance on preventative care.
Hi Taylor, thanks for your video. I find it very interesting to hear what people from abroad think about how we do things :)
Rides in an ambulance costs about 200 to 300€, but the cost is covered by, you guessed it, your healthcare insurance. You might have to pay that yourself under some special circumstances (ie calling them without needing them).
Another fascinating aspect of German healthcare is "Kuren". It's something you can ask for for example post surgery as a rehabilitation or when you are a single parent (did that myself) and need a break from your normal life, as a precaution before you have a mental break down. The costs are covered by your healthcare insurance, usually except for your transportation cost to and from the place that Kur is taking place. Some more info here: www.baederkalender.de/gesundheitsinfo/fragen-zur-kur/was-ist-eine-kur/
Hello! Thank you for your comment! That is very true. I think that mental health and physical health and intricately linked, and I think it is great that there are rehabilitation and wellness centers people can go to to find peace.
And everybody in germany has insurance. Even unempoyed people or people who are permanently unable to work due to physical or mental health and disability like me. I am on eight medications and I pay a fee of about 45€ a year so I won't even have to pay the 5€ per prescribtion (you get that if you are chronically ill).
So my costs are 45€/year, plus maybe some painkillers or if I catch a bad cold, these meds aren't covered. (Over the counter meds). "Living" in the US would mean "to die" for me.
For many people in the US it does mean a shorter lifespan. There are many many people who choose not to go to the doctor when they are ill, because they know that they can't afford the bills that will surely come afterwards. There are even more people that don't take their prescription medications or ration them. I am grateful that you live in a country that supports your health and well-being!
Ich muss dich enttäuschen. Wir in Deutschland haben keine Versicherungspflicht, aber zum Glück ist fast jeder versichert. Wenn du z. B. von der privaten Krankenversicherung in die gesetzliche willst, weil du sie dir nicht mehr leisten kannst, dann musst du vorweisen können, dass du 10 Jahre gesetzlich versichert warst. Die gesetzliche Krankenversicherung kann dich sonst gegebenenfalls ablehnen. Das passierte einem Freund von mir. Er verlor seine Arbeit und konnte sich die private nicht mehr leisten. Er hatte keine 10 Jahre und so stand er ohne Versicherung da. Er hatte Glück, da seine Hochzeit bevor stand. So kam er in die Familienversicherung. Das ist unfair, aber so will die gesetzliche deren Ausbeutung verhindern. Es gibt ja einige, die in ihrer Jugend wenig für die private bezahlen, aber im Alter wegen Krankheit usw mehr bezahlen müssen. Diese wollen dann um Geld zu sparen in die gesetzliche. Mir tun halt die Leid, die unverschuldet keine Versicherung haben😔
@@cFatoss du kannst dir eine Arbeit suchen, als Angestellter, dann bist du automatisch wieder in der gestzlichen... oder du benatragts ALG II und bist drin... klar oder du heiratest... du kannst z.B. nicht aus der gesetzlichen raus... und dich gar nicht versichern...
@@egal007 Ja natürlich, aber bis ein ALG 2 bewilligt ist dauert es ein bisschen. Die sagen immer 6 bis 8 Wochen bearbeitungszeit. Auch sofort eine Arbeit zu finden ist nicht leicht. 😅 Ich sag ja seine Hochzeit hat ihn gerettet 🙈🤣
@@cFatoss wenn du in der Zeit ab Antragabgabe bis Bewilligung ärztliche Versorgung brauchst bist du dafür versichert
one thing I missed (I also lived in CA for 7 years)...here it is NOT optional to be insured - you have to have insurance (you have no choice of opting out) and also the contribution from your salary is pretty in close corridor for any insurance company (and also coverage of essential procedure is regulated - at least minimum - and its mostly all you ever need). And: even if you are uneomployed (or on Kurzarbeit like right now) you still are covered - there is essentially nobody not covered. (for unemployement and Kurzarbeit - the government effectively pas the premium)...which means there is no difficulty now that you can go see a doctor for Covid even if out of job - 100% same coverage. And also minimum coverage of private insurance is the same. As soon as you leave private insurance you have to be back into public...no way you ever would be uninsured. Kids and unemployed partners are automatically covered as part of the family with same premium.
Cosmetical Surgery is covered if there are medical Reasons. You have to pay for a Nos Job or Boob Job if its just for your personal Beauty Reason. But if you have Breathing Problems because of your Nose or Back Problems because of large Breasts the insurance Company will cover all the Costs.
That's true. I am glad that there are exceptions for people that require these treatments.
Well...
It seems all for a sudden, a lot of Americans are really interested on how Germany works, especially the health care system...
I wonder why that is 🤔👍😜
Trust me, the Republicans are not interested in healthcare unless they can make some money.
Health care v health industry
regarding drug costs: there is something that's called "Chronikerregelung" (regulation for chronically ill patients). It caps your payment (all health related payments summed up) to 1% of your income. If you exceed that amount, you don't have to pay anymore (for the current year). This is important if you have e.g. diabetes or are on dialysis.
PS: I like the way you identify yourself with Germany :-)
just a comment about the "additional tooth care insurance" (Zahnzusatzversicherung).. The problem with the standard tooth care is, that it only provides "neccessary" care, ie. it only pays for the most inexpensive repair required. Any tooth damage will still be "repaired", but only to the point which is required to stay "healthy".
Eg. if one of your teeth needs to be removed, that's it, because you're still "healthy" with one tooth missing. If you do loose more teeth, they will pay for a replacement, but only the cheapest one, ie. dentures or a bridge, which will be fixed to neighbouring healthy teeth (which need to be reduced to their stumps to build a support for the bridge, nasty).
This is, where the additional insurance comes into play... they will pay for a more aesthetic solution, ie. for dental implants, and they will also pay for the replacement for one single tooth..
That is very true! I know that I will eventually need more intensive dental work and that makes getting this additional insurance a very smart move! I think that Germans are very lucky that they at least get essential dental care, even if it isn't the best care you can get. A lot of US Americans don't go to the dentist at all because they can't afford it and end up with much more dire health issues. I don't know why oral health care isn't considered a part of general healthcare because they really are interlinked.
i´m paying for my additional insurance here in austria in order to get my own single room when i have to stay overnight in a hospital.
Me too
Taylor, thank you for the great video. It was really informative and well-delivered. As someone who is in the healthcare field in the US, I'm always shaking my head at some of the ways care is delivered and its quality measured. Sometimes it feels like you can see the ugly compromises found in the absurd policies and rules. In a way, it is these complexities that create a lot of jobs designed to navigate the maze of rules and often-diverging interests. It's fascinating... I guess! If this is an area of interest to you or any of your viewers, feel free to ping me!
German here : I have one question. What happens to people without an insurance, when they get cancer or had a very severe accident? Who pays for that? I mean these are cases, where you have to spend months at the hospital. We don't have to pay a penny. What about you?
cFatoss hospitals have to provide basic care. And there is Medicaid if you can’t afford out of pocket costs. It’s not a good situation. You’ll likely lose all your assets before being approved for assistance.
Hello, Michael. Thank you for your feedback. I can't even really begin to wrap my mind around the complexities surrounding the healthcare industry in the US. I think it is difficult to navigate as a patient, so I can't imagine what it is like as a healthcare professional. I read an article recently about some of the reasons that testing in the US took so long to pick up and continues to be an issue and there was an anecdote about a university that offered their labs for testing, but the hospital they proposed cooperation with declined because of administrative red-tape and the complexities of partnering with an entity they didn't have a previous contractual relationship with.
I think when private protocols diminish flexibility so much that you can't properly respond to a pandemic, there are significant flaws to the system that need to be addressed. I don't really understand why the US healthcare industry is so reluctant to adopt policies or procedures that work for other countries. Maybe you understand the culture better than I do.
@@taylorintransit3421 Hi Taylor. Regarding organizations working with one another, it's typical here that companies have to go through a rigorous approvals process before they can work with large institutions. Perhaps that may have played a part. Even with my company, we have a tough time getting an audience with local and state governments because they already have approved firms they work with.
When you read and watch the news here, it's obvious that there is no shortage of smart people who understand the tradeoffs in the various proposed solutions. But I think there's a small uninformed minority of people who exercise their right to be heard. And they are speaking loudly and causing political leaders to bend in their direction... away from prudent, science based opinions. Plus, I've been studying why my birth country South Korea has been so successful in responding to the virus. I believe one giant reason is that the general public isn't so skeptical of the government when it comes to warnings and policies about the virus. The public seems to get the magnitude of the problem and I think they have a deeper understanding of consequences of inaction. They went through several pandemics - MERS being the most recent in 2013.
It's really frustrating to see people protesting for "liberty" when clearly they don't understand how a virus like this one works.
9:55 Drug prices (for public insured people) are 5€ -10€, if you have a recipe from a doctor. If the products price is less than 5€ you pay yourself. This payments are limited to 2% of your yearly income and to 1% if you are chronically ill.
Thanks for the clarification! (:
Your vids are very interesting, not only for Americans. This videos shows us Germans how good we live here. For us is this all total normal. We are afraid if we have to pay 100 euros for glasses. We think, oh no why? We are injured... At the end we have one of best systems in the world and we don't realize that. This vids are eye opener for us. Thank you :)
Drug costs: With a prescription, it's only 5 Euro; really good. Important too: if you get really sick for weeks, yr employer is mandated to continue paying yr full salary for 6 weeks, after which the health care provider pays the salary; around 68% of it for a year. And I def advise getting Zahnzusatzversicherung as early as possible. The younger you start, the cheaper it is; and def worth it: Top quality dental treatment is expensive in Germany; with the extra insurance way easier manageable.
Hello! Thanks for watching my video and for your comment. You make a good point. If you had to stop working because of illness or an accident for any extended period of time in the US, it is more than likely that you will be put on unpaid leave... this is one of the many reasons many people with chronic, terminal, or otherwise serious illnesses go bankrupt. Ugh, I know I should get the extra dental insurance. I don't know why I keep putting it off!
My prescriptions often cost 10 EUR per recipe. Depends on product size. For products I won't survive without and so I pay the double price.
Years ago I started to hoard a medication I can get in Spain (holiday trip) who cost even less than the recipe fee here in Germany. Saved me lot of money and time to get a new presciption each 3 months. And yeah, bloodwork shows the products are working.
@@taylorintransit3421 Something to compare Usi's comment to. I pay 10€ for 10 pens of insulin with 3ml each, less than 5€ for needles that last me a month, about 5€ for my medication and 0€ (Zero) for the test stripes to check the blood sugar. So, if you feel unwell, you can freely check your blood sugar if that's out of whack for some reason.
Rarely mentioned, if you reach a certain amount you need for medication in a year (I think it was 100€) and are without a job, you can get some of the money you paid back from the insurance company on the public model. So keep those receipts just in case. That includes hospital stay BTW.
@@taylorintransit3421 You can get very cheap dental insurance (private) in Germany if you´re young and you´re covered after a certain time (6-12 month). Even some Krankenkassen have additional insurance.
What you forgot to mention is that there is obligatory nursing care insurance as well. It´s provided by your health insurance provider as well and costs roughly another 3 % of your salary (to be shared between you and your employer). It will cover long term caregiving if needed (not the full costs though, depending on how much capability you´re left with). The majority of doctor´s offices are private which means they are for-profit. If you can´t find a doctor who will accept you within 4 weeks there is the so-called "Terminservicestelle" you can call and they will find one for you. In emergencies (e. g. if in pain) you are obviously entitled to being seen. There are also private health insurances to top up the cover provided by public insurance. They cover the balance of the cost of optional frills like private hospital rooms or that you want to be treated by the head doctor of a hospital rather than his/her underlings.
Another point for clarification: Hospitals (with very few exceptions) will treat publicly as well as privately insured patients. There are no "network"-restrictions.
Hey, Peter. Thank you for providing this additional information. I didn't know that there was a service to find a doctor if you aren't able to find one yourself. Are the private insurances you are speaking of the Zusatzversicherung that I mentioned in the video? Or something different? I suppose it is nice that people have the option of improving their care by paying for an additional insurance. Maybe a bit capitalistic, but to each their own. (:
Ugh, don't get me started on the system of networks in the US. It boggles my mind.
@@taylorintransit3421 In a sense they aren´t the same as the Zusatzversicherungen offered by statuatory health insurance providers which are not-for-profit. And in a sense they are. Those I refered to are from for-profit companies. And statuatory insurance is acting merely as sort of an agent for the private companies which are for-profit. The main difference is that members of a statuatory insurance will only be offered contracts with the one specific private company their public provider has a contract with. If you don´t want that you need to choose your own which has a downside: you might be rejected for preexistig conditions.
The whole system is mostly capitalist (except for state-run hospitals). In oversupplied regions (like e.g. Munich) quite a few specialist doctors went bankrupt (especially internal specialists). But being a capitalist system isn´t necessarily a bad thing if it´s properly regulated. I´d prefer that to the UK´s NHS for instance.
All gynaecologists I have been to in Germany have changing booths.
But no other doctor has, at least I have not seen any.
Hm, maybe it is only the gynos that I have been to!
I've been at a colonoscopy (Darmspiegelung) recently and they also had changing booths and these little one-way-panties which are open at the backside. And also if you have a CT or MRT they usually have changing booths.
@@peterparker219 Yes, you are right, X-Ray and MRT and the like all have changing booths! IIt is just, for me they are somehow not "real doctors", because it is "just" diagnosis :-D Silly of me, isn´t it? :-DDD
No, and what should they be good for ? At no other doctor you have to walk around naked. Even at my urologist, I just have to drop my pants for the inspection. What should I change into ? On X-Ray, it's a matter of efficiency. You can X-Ray one patient, while the other one is dressing/undressing. So You can handle maybe 8 people per hour instead of just 4. The devices are expensive. It has nothing to do with privacy. You lock the inspection room for less time, if you change somewhere else.
If you call an ambulance unnecessarily in Germany, this costs ~ 800 euros per vehicle used. So ~ 1,600 euros if an emergency doctor is sent (drives separately) - more if he comes with a rescue helicopter.
But you have to assume that this was really an unnecessary effort. A lot of goodwill is used in the calculation.
However, it can also have criminal consequences if, for example, this prevents / makes it difficult for another person to save.
Greetings from The Netherlands
Thank you for visiting my channel!
Thank you very much for your informative Report
I really enjoy your videos.
Are you sure you are an American?
You structurise and analyse
it like a German.
I live in Thailand since 17 years and compare the health insurance system with the German.
I really like the German system. It's so easy and really save.
I hope you are not forced to go to a German hospital.
The cost are covered, the medical treatments are OK,
but you are a number, not a person.
I don't want to criticize the Nurses. They do an excellent job. But in Gemany everything is dominated by effizienty.
Yeah. Public servants, high incommer and self-employed can or must change from public to private insurance. Artists are a completely different deal. However, once you are privately insured it is very hard - if not impossible - to return to public insurance. That basically ensures that people spent less in private insurance when they are young and then switch back once they are charged more because of their age.
Thank you for your comment. I sometimes struggle to see the sense in having private insurance if you aren't obligated to having it even if the care is incrementally better and the waiting times for elective procedures are shorter. I also read an article (a few years ago now) that said that private health insurance is also getting more and more expensive.
@@taylorintransit3421 I haven't heard that yet. But currently, people are more worried their doctors might suggest unnecessary treatment. Like in the US insurance companies have switched to a system, where your doctor has to a certain amount of treatments s/he is able to prescribe. For example a lot of elderly with leg issues are worried to get knee cap replacements although it is unnecessary only because it's the only thing available to their doctor.
It's not that hard to switch back. If you take a job that pays less than the ~60000€ / year or reduce your hours in your current job to drop below that margin, you are by law required to get public insurance. If you are married and quit your job, you could join her public family insurance for a time and then go back to public insurance.
@@taylorintransit3421 An artist has the option to be insured through the KSK (Künstlersozialkasse) btw, which pays 50% of the insurance cost, which normally would be paid by the employer. So if you are officially registered as a freelance artist and your health insurer is AOK, for instance, you submit the necessary documents to KSK and fill out a ton of forms (and there are a LOT *lol*) and then you have to pay 50% of the insurance costs based on your estimated income for the year to KSK, which will add another 50% and send 100% to AOK. The service remains the same.
Even cosmetic surgery sometimes is covered if the person has big problems in their everyday live because they are disfigured or something that is not just to be more beautiful
Hello Taylor. Your video covers the German health system very well! But please let me add one important point: Once you have children, they will also be insured automatically for the same 7.5% of your paycheck that you pay today. This would also be valid for your husband, in case he is unemp!oyed. Regards, Wolfgang
thank you very much very good and informative
Thank you for watching. (:
The main point is that everyone is insured at the same percentage no matter what's his risks. This compensates for different risks because a state needs bank employees and people that build streets. But the later have a way higher risk of getting sick due to his work than the former.
Second point is that the compensation for medical errors is limited to a sensible amount.
America is often talking about insurance costs but the main problem in America are costs for medical services.
German soldiers have something called "freie Heilfürsorge (free medical care)". They are medically cared for by the Bundeswehr medical team. All medical expenses are paid for by the Ministry of Defense.
that even goes for all civilian tests made on soldiers, when they are sent by the military medical team
in my service time I had a hard hit to the head by a log and was carried by a civilian emergency helicopter to a civilian clinic
Hi, Ralf. Thank you for the information! I think we have a similar system in the States.
Thanks for your work here.
The most striking difference of the two healthcare systems is the fact that the US system is 'for profit' - it's all about denying care to pay higher interest to the shareholders .... it's actually a disgusting thought for most people in Europe.
As other comments mentioned the second reason for our system to be a lot better is that it's compulsary - no one [almost, to be honest, it is about 99%] will be allowed to be without it.
What you didn't mention is the difference of paid leave around pregnancy, child birth and the post partum treatment: Everything paid for, no extra charges no matter how complicated the procedures may be, and paid free time 6 weeks before & up to 1 1/2 years after birth. The only charge a couple has to pay is if they want an ultra-sound picture taken each month instead of every other month - which is provided for free ....
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I like the way you present your information. It shows thoughtfulness and precision of preparation for the actual video.
And because you are already there, we do not forget the 10 children's sick days for each parent per child (or 20 days for single parents) . Or the possibility to apply for a cure every 3 years or so, that is not considered rehabilitation after an accident or an operation.
Hello! Thank you for watching and your input. I completely agree with your assessment of the US system... I think there is a real lack of empathy in many US institutions, and I struggle to wrap my mind around this.
Great minds think alike! I purposefully didn't get into pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care because the topic deserved much more time and care! I just posted a whole video on the topic today. (:
@C J If someone visits the doctor constantly in our system this person must really have massive health problem! You should feel sorry for that person instead of decrying having to pay a lump sum much lower than any *for-profit* US insurance.
In order for the system to work it is necessary to include everyone with a payment proportional to their income, no matter what age.
If you expect to be taken care of without additional payments in case of an emergency you don't have a choice - *it is called "solidarity"* and requires that you understand that this is a way of being grateful for your own health as long as you don't need help - but you won't stay young forever - think of how much it will cost when you are old - who is going to pay for the expensive treatments you (may) need?
My old High School buddy pays $ 1,200 / month and his co-pay for insulin, blood pressure drugs, and drug s he needs due to quadruple bypass surgery eats up the total of his social security check! If his wife wasn't there to support him he'd be dead by now.
In comparison: I do pay 240 € (approx.260 US$) per month, don't take any drugs and I don't mind paying this - and even if one day I had a heart attack or else I would not pay more than what I'm paying now.
Let's just take child birth, a topic covered in this Vlog: Payments for the new parents on average > US$ 5,000 - here with 'socialised medicine "0" .... Let's assume these parents earn 2000 / month and have to pay (single payer system) 16% of their income = 320 €, half of which is paid for by their employer, leaves them with 160 /month - now we divide 5000 by 160 = approx. 31 months of payment. Plus every check on the baby and all vaccinations are paid for by the health insurance .... now just think the mother would have needed a cesarean section for 45,000 US$ minimum and figure out where the couple would be financewise ....
The health insurance companies want you to first think of paying for someone else - this distracts from their outrageous premiums and co-payments and exclusions of pre-existing health issues .... they want the profit, not your well being!
@C J OK, I am sure once you are my age (74, and not an indoctrinated youngish european) you will look at this from a different angle.
My 'story' is not some fake news from Europe - I've lived in the USA for 5+ years in all and taught Marketing & Sales at a renowned University. Those figures are real, from real people I knew - first hand!
My friend has worked his ass off for his company and just before they would have had to pay him a decent additional pension they laid him off one year before that date after 24 years of hard work with almost no vacation time. He did not smoke or drink. Has been in the outdoors on the lake or in the woods in the short hours he had when not working. Now you tell me where he did things wrong.
- ".. Pharmaceutical drugs are not the answer. I will never use them .." - but you do take supplements? And you are aware that *everything* you eat is a chemical substance? As is your total body.
- " .. Also, the cost of living in the US is significantly cheaper .. " - wrong, on average it is about one third more expensive than in most European countries. And the food quality is abysmal - quantity not quality, and don't get me started on the fluffy white stuff Americans call "bread" ...
- You may not have heard of high co-payments - but this is no proof they don't exist.
See this → czcams.com/video/zHcwOgbsBYk/video.html
Just wait until the main wave of Covid-19 deaths start, what you see today is just the beginning. There will be 15,000 to 20,000 people dead each day (!) starting a bit lower in late April, rising in May and June .... too little effort & too late and nobody will be able to get on a respirator because the hospitals weren't able to pay for their upkeep.
See this → czcams.com/video/ltQwFWZ8ciE/video.html
"Socialized Health Care" would have prevented this - just look at the numbers.
See this → czcams.com/video/DU8xwz9QgNQ/video.html
I'm not going to point out where else you get things wrong as I realize that this would not make a difference in your line of thought.
If your time allows you should watch more channels from expats & military wives that compare the US with Germany and I'm sure you will be surprised to learn that almost all of them (even the military wives vlogging!) will support what I wrote about cost & health & quality of food ...
The Unites States used to be a great nation until the late 60ies. Not any more. It's an empire dying slowly but surely, and Mr. Trump is just the last nail on the coffin.
@C J "This system is of course funded elsewhere" - No, it is not. It is funded by the ca. 15% of your total income (ca. 7.5% beeing paid by you, 7.5% beeing paid by your employer) by all insurance members. Where did you get this idea? This sounds like a conspiracy theory...
The insurance payment for unemployed people is beeing paid by the unemployment insurance and there are some cases, where the government pays for the health care insurance (like e.g. students whose split and moved away from their families).
The percentage varies form insurance company to insurance company and it is regularly discussed (or better: it is fought) with the government, if they are allowed to increase the numbers for the upcoming year(s). In order to succeed, they have to prove, that their total funding is to small to cover all of the costs (their administrative costs are capped and are not allowed to be the main reason for that).
Sometime it's funny, because you hear that insurance companies made a surplus in the news, and during the next week, you will hear them whine, that they made a deficit and want to increase that percentage for the upcoming season during the news.
Thankfully they are not allowed to do that by themselves, or else we would definitively have to pay much more right now.
I have additional insurance for dental work, because I have really bad teeth. But I chose not to get any other additional ones. Especially the one for private rooms in hospitals is only worth the cost if you are in hospital quite often. If not, it is much cheaper to just pay the surcharge for the private room yourself. It is not that expensive.
Soldiers in Germany have NO health insurance! Soldiers have free medical care - this means that soldiers in military hospitals are treated free of charge and also receive the medicine from military pharmacists for free. Health insurance must be taken out for family members.
Similar rules apply to police officers, professional firefighters and law enforcement officers. These are not covered by health insurance either, but the state bears all costs.
As far as I know, when you call an ambulance here in Germany, if the doctors/medics decide you need to be taken to the hospital, you won't have to pay anything. Only if they decide you're fine you have to pay, idk, 100 bucks.
Sometimes they will take you anyways tho because eg if someone was just being careful and thought you might have a heart attack or smth but it's definitely smth else from the doctor's point of view, they don't want you to get punished for just being cautious.
Not that I ever had to call an ambulance thankfully. Just smth I heard.
That's a theoretical fee, to punish people who abuse the emergency. Like if you call them daily not to be lonesome. It's very seldom applied.
Nice Video, but not that detailed sometimes (as far I picked it up). First one - the state will always insure you. Unemployed, homeless whatever... if you register for free medical aid - you will always get it (almost) for free (@ Jörg Helmes covered that topic in the comments greatly). If you live on public assistance (Hartz IV, Sozialhilfe etc.) healthcare is totally free to you. And secondly... ALL healthcare providers (Krankenkassen) provide the same medical necessary services to you. Only on top of that they will differ on what special programs (like free gym memberships, or special bonus programs for taking no sickdays whatever) they offer to their customers.
Hello! Thank you for the additions and clarifications! This is clearer than how I explained the topic. (:
I wanted to add something about the drug/medicine prices. Ppl that have to take a lot of medication and even with the low prizes, how you mentioned correctly, aren't able to afford them, they can apply to the state for an exemption from paying the fees, because having to pay let's say 50-60€ a month can still be a challenge to some. And after their monthly income and outgoings have been checked and verified, they can get the medications for free
A ride on an ambulance costs 10€ for me and I am not on a private assurance. A day in the hospital with prescriptions is also a tenner. But probably still cheaper than many other countries. So I don't bicker about taxes when they support the health care system. With a good income I pay several hundred € a month for my family. Still cheaper to what I was offered in North America.
might be a bit late to comment on your video since its from april, but i d like to mention smt you probably didn t see , the german patient isn t a customer, like they would be in the US, the german patient is the ware, the insurance company is the customer, so if you have an interesting (expensive) condition, you get all the care they can sell to your insurer, but for genreal needs, like idk, gallstones, an about to rupture appendix or just regular checkups, your just treated like a cow going to the milkstand. Another thing to mention is, that if you have an emergancy in germany, the costs are capped at 30€ for the emergancy, so if a hospital wants to make some money, they ll keep you at least a day longer just to make up for the diagnostic costs.
There is no special health insurance for high risk professions like soldiers or such. What you probably mean is the special health insurance system for "Beamte", which means public officials. They don't pay any health insurance, their health costs are covered up to 90% by their employers (communities, armed forces, police, federal organisations, etc.). Most of them insure the remaining 10% privately. They have virtually the same coverage and benefits like privately insured people, and that is part of the benefits and incentives to become a "Beamter".
On private insurance: You do not necessarily need a high income to be eligible for private insurance. Being self employed is enough, regardless of what you earn. Only employees need to earn a certain amount of money (presently something close to 7.000 € per month) to become eligible for that. Nearly everybody who did opt for private insurance regrets that choice when they reach an age of 60+ because by then it becomes really expensive and can easily reach twice or even triple the amount of public insurance rates, but by then it is to late to switch back to public insurance (what never is easy), because there is no way to switch back when you are older then 55. The reason for that is, that private insurance is really cheap when you are young, and you are not allowed to take advantage from that and later also the advantage of relativly low public insurance rates for older people as well.
Last but not least, there are people in Germany without health insurance. Most of them are job- and homeless, but some are formerly self employed people who under certain circumstances can fall through the social security net in Germany. We are talking about some 80.000 people here.
for Soldiers it's actually different, as the armed Forces have their own medical system, they are treatet in this system,... but if that is not possible the soldiers are sent to civilian medical treatment, which is paid for by the Ministry of Defense
Hello! Thank you for your comment and for the clarifications! To your last point, it is unfortunate, but I feel like there is no society that has solved the problem of people falling through the cracks. Germany has however reduced the rate of uninsured to 0,2% (statistic was from 2008 so this may have changed) compared to 18% in the US. That being said, there is always room for improvement and there are still many advancements to be made!
Great video! :)
Amount of doctors would depend on area in country. Some places have very many.....rural areas maybe less
Our health care system incentivises others to stay healthy. Take obesity for example. Its nothing wrong to say to them they unhealthy, because of the reason they are a burden on society and will cost the society more. This system works, because we believe in it. So when everyone has the attempt to stay healthy it will cost the society less overall and for the ones really in need there will be always help.
I still remember when we were in the skatepark at 14, we always had in our back mind 'someone will call an ambulance I will be fine' when trying something extremely risky.
Edit: Keep in mind germans have health insurance for workers and their familys since 1883.
I'm very interested in how Botox for migraines is/isn't covered. In the US, I've been getting Botox for migraines (via my neurologist) for 6 years and it is the *only* thing that has kept me from being totally disabled because of how bad my migraines are. I have to get it once every three months and it's currently totally covered here in the US, but in Germany, I'm not sure if it'd be covered or if it'd be considered "cosmetic" surgery (as it is still seen in a lot of places). No one's been able to give me a clear answer.
If you live long enough you will need health care no exceptions
Very true! Thanks for the comment.
Private insurance in addition to public health insurance makes sense. A solitary private health insurance is cheap when you are young and healthy. When you get older, you are a risk for the insurance and the fees increase immensely. I work at a mobile nursing service, and I can see that the elderly with private insurance have to pay up to 900 € per month each, but their pension is a lot smaller than their working income was before. So in the end, they have to give up a lot of improvements of the private insurance (Professor, single bedroom etc.) to get lower fees, just when they need it. And they can't return to the public health system. - By the way: a Professor is often not the best physician only because of his title, especially when he is in a leading position. He then has to focus more on administration than on patients. I prefer Oberärzte (senior physicians) that are always around and have most experience.
Hi, Tom. You make some very good points. I always thought that the leading physician would be best, but if they aren't practicing as much, because they have more administrative duties, that would probably affect their skill levels in the end! Is there any way that people that are thinking about private insurance can see what their future costs will be (even if they are just estimates)?
How the German system compares to Scotland? I've heard Scotland manages health insurance thru municipalites, as opposed to England, which is more centralized.
German system is centrally managed by not by a single entity
To be honest, I am not sure what the difference is between coverage in England and Scotland. I assumed that they would function the same as they are both under the NHS.
Great video, Taylor! What would you say to US people telling they don't want to give their money to an solidary health system like the german one to make abortions and other treatments they don't want support for other people possible?
let me answer from Germany: I would say, if someone has an acident f.e. because of alkohl, he/she gets help; someone fall of a wall, because not sportif... equal... nobody even askes such questions, because we all have so great benefit out of this solidarity... and we are under the law... if the law says yes to aportion, so what... than you have do fight against this law and not gainst healthcare... sorry bad english... greetings
@@egal007 Hum... today I watched that interesting video. I think since then the challenge of discussing with a US citizen is bigger :-) czcams.com/video/4VZKISIAct4/video.html
@@Pewtah you are right... thanks for the link... I´m trying to stay positiv... in gerneral not with covid :-)))
First I thought she was a German girl having recieved prenatal English lessons via ultrasound, ...
Hi Miss Taylor
the sad truth is that the US government does not really care about the American people. sad but true
may all living creatures be happy and free from suffering
regards
Mr Michael Carmichael
Any advice for two retired veterans trying to move to Germany? Most information we've found, applies to job seekers.
Hi,as a retired person you still need health insurance to stay in Germany permanently. Unfortunately you need private insurance if you don't work. For older people the insurance is about 500€ a month
@@JaneSmith-rx6kx it ist not true, fortunately everybody gets insured with or without a Job because it is a Human right Here.
I'm 29yrs old and my wife is 24yrs. We love the idea of having German healthcare, so that's not a problem.
Hello! Thanks for watching my video! I'm a bit confused. You are a retired veteran, but you don't plan to work once in Germany? I mean, if this is financially feasible for you both, then it wouldn't be a problem necessarily moving to Germany. There are quite a few online resources for retirees. (transferwise.com/us/blog/guide-to-retiring-in-germany) If you are unemployed in Germany, you will receive public health insurance and other benefits, but you will also have to be actively searching for a job... Another concern, which you will have to research, is whether it is possible for you to receive any social security or benefits (that you have technically earned while working in the US). I know that if you work in Germany, you can move abroad and still get pension and social security payments, but I'm not sure about the US.
@@taylorintransit3421 It is very feasible. We are not interested in benefiting financially from the social programs. Just want to live in peace, help those who need it, and keep to ourselves. Thanks to all who replied to me. I really appreciate it.
Go to Hungary, e.g. Budapest and get your teeth made there for a sixth of what you would pay in Germany, because public healthcare doesn't cover that...and the Zusatzversicherung in the long run is more expensive!
I have actually heard of some people seeking care in other countries, but they are usually US citizens going to other countries, not Germans. I will have to look into that if I'm ever headed out to Hungary. Although, I'm not sure I will want to have dental work done while I'm on vacation :D
@@taylorintransit3421 There are vacations in Hungary you can book where you get a nice hotel in Budpest, a tour guide, visits to the sightseeing sites and get your teeth done. Full service so to say. ^^
I got my eyes lasered in Budapest in 2006. Much cheaper than here in Germany, and absolutely professional, even with German speaking Doctors. And I fell in love with Budapest (wich was my grandfather's home town anyways).
A sad amount af insured Americans still end up i serious debt because insured is not without copay.
It is not a right here in Germany. It is mandatory but certainly NOT a right. Nobody in this world has a right to demand healthcare from anybody.
In germany, the doctor is a doctor, not your friend. I do not care if my doctor is an asshole if he is competent.
ambulance costs WHAT??? thousands of dollars for a ride, thats crazy 😲 thats what an emergency helicopter ride costs here
Emergency services are very fragmented. Ambulance providers can be public or private and the cost depends on whether you have insurance, what insurance you have, and sometimes even if the ambulance provider was within your network. Here is an interesting article: www.nytimes.com/2013/12/05/health/think-the-er-was-expensive-look-at-the-ambulance-bill.html
You don't have to pay for the helicopter ride yourself either, you just have to contribute a fee.
@@taylorintransit3421 that's the same in germany, there are public and private ambulance providers
but besides some exceptions they all get the same payment from the insurance company
(the exception being the Armed Forces Ambulances and Emergency Helicopters, they don't charge you at all)
Norwegian one is better ;) ...
I believe that! I think the healthcare systems in Scandanavian countries are looked to for inspriation.
German health care is really funny! You pay so much per month, but if you need something, the insurance would refuse to pay anything...
Not true.
@@peter_meyer Yes it is! That's what I always experience!
How does it take more than ten minutes to say "I need an inhaler and some birth control pills".
well because you´ll be asked... WHY... Doctors take over ... you have to have argues... ;-)
So many Americans, Russians and Brits in Germany nowadays. Feels like 1945.
Dont forget the Arabs....
The houses are in a better state...and, for gods sake, less dump nazies!
I wonder if there are stats for how many US expats live in Germany. I have only met one other US American in the city I live. I am sure there are move in the south.
@@taylorintransit3421 I'm allways under the impression most of them are in Baden-Württemberg or Lederhosen-Texas.
@@JonnyRobels Houses in better shape...yes.
Less nazies then after the war...debatable.
"working in Germany these last few years" no, really ;)
German doctors not being polite: A polite doctor, in my opinion, is incompetent. When I go to a doctor, I have a problem, and I want it fixed HERE and NOW.
sorry but just because someone is polite does not mean he is incompetent. there are doctors that sometimes are not great with ppl but are fantastic when they are operating for example. politeness has nothing to do with being agood doctor.
I personally believe that bedside manner is really important, because someone's health is very personal to a person. But if you don't need your doctor to make a connection, then this is your personal choice and I am sure you can find a doctor who is more direct and to the point. (:
@@taylorintransit3421 i personally prefer when doctors that are direct. I think that depends on everyone experience. I had also doctors who made fun and were easy going. But he also was not that accurate. Actually it was my form gyn whome I changed after he asked at my next checkup what my results were when he checked on something. He forgot to write this results in my chart. So that's why I prefer more direct doctors. But that's my experience. 😉
> A polite doctor, in my opinion, is incompetent. When I go to a doctor, I have a problem, and I want it fixed HERE and NOW.
What a nonsense. By far not all "issues" can be fixed HERE and NOW. Wait for the moment your doctor says to you "You have cancer". There is nothing to fix here and now. Our doctor is competent and very polite and i always have a very personal smalltalk with him. My wife has been very sick three years ago, but hardly anybody could find out what it was. She was sent to a hospital and they tried everything and could not find the reason (the "Blutwerte" (blood values?)) detoriated dramatically etc. and one week after she was sent to the hospital, our doctor called me per phone and asked about my wife. He also had a few more assumptions and he was very polite and interested in helping us. Why should he be "imcompetent" due to his politeness? Thats plain nonsense!