Health Care in The United States and Denmark

Paper Summary:

This essay is an extensive comparison of health care policy in the U.S. and Denmark. It examines the major differences between the two countries and their policies by illustrating the vast difference in the population and geographical size of the two countries, plus the contrasting political systems of competitive free enterprise system within the democratic U.S. versus a long standing national health system of socialized medicine, supplemented by private sector resources in the much smaller constitutional monarchy of Denmark. The paper describes the common factors shared by the two nations are that they are industrialized Western country with an economy based on capitalism and a tradition of private medical practice. The paper includes a historical survey of health care policy, insurance and services in each country.

From the Paper:

"Comparison of health care policy in the United States to health care policy in Denmark is essentially a comparison of a very large country with a free enterprise competitive system within a democracy to a much smaller constitutional monarchy with a long standing national health system of socialized medicine, supplemented by private sector resources. In the US, where national health insurance is non-existent, medical care is largely privately controlled with minimal government regulation except for public sector Medicare and Medicaid programs, created in 1965, to aid the poor and elderly. Denmark, under state supervision, provides health insurance for all residents and administers basically free health care, administered by counties and municipalities, for all who apply, with private supplementation available as desired. This essay presents a brief historical overview and general comparison of the two countries current policies and offers comparative analysis of the following specific aspects of the policies: health insurance, private vs. public sector programs, free enterprise, recent developments and future possibilities.

Among the greatest differences to be noted in consideration of the contrasting health systems of Denmark and the U.S. is the vast variance in population size and make up. In 2001 the population of Denmark was approximately 5 and a half million. The U.S. in 2001 had a population of over 278 million (http://www.worldfactsandfigures.com/worldfactspop.php).
Denmark is a high-income industrialized country, one of the ten richest countries in the world in terms of GNP per head with a generally homogeneous population and little immigration. The United States, although a wealthy industrialized nation has a much more diverse population with higher poverty and immigration rates ( http://www.who.dk.). Denmark is also a much older nation than the relatively young U.S. Historians believe that the Danes were living on the Scandinavian peninsula as early as the fourth and fifth century AD Over the centuries the Danes developed a strong national identity and sense of themselves as a nation that takes care of its people. In modern times they developed from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy with a 98% Lutheran population. (Encarta) In contrast, the U.S. has developed rapidly in the years since 1776 into an internationally powerful nation with a strong tradition of fierce personal economic independence which may have contributed to this nation's delay in developing a national health care system."

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