Recent data show wide disparity between Japan and the United States in
the effectiveness of their health care systems. Japan spends close to
the lowest percentage of its gross domestic product on health care among
OECD countries, the United States spends the highest, yet life
expectancies in Japan are among the world's longest. Clearly, a great
deal can be learned from a comprehensive comparative analysis of health
care issues in these two countries.
In Health Care Issues in the United States and Japan, contributors
explore the structural characteristics of the health care systems in
both nations, the economic incentives underlying the systems, and how
they operate in practice. Japan's system, they show, is characterized by
generous insurance schemes, a lack of gatekeepers, and fee-for-service
mechanisms. The United States' structure, on the other hand, is
distinguished by for-profit hospitals, privatized health insurance, and
managed care. But despite its relative success, an aging population and
a general shift from infectious diseases to more chronic maladies are
forcing the Japanese to consider a model more closely resembling that of
the United States.
In an age when rising health care costs and aging populations are
motivating reforms throughout the world, this timely study will prove
invaluable.