The oldest universal health care plan is said to be in Germany. The health care plan there dates all the way back to Otto von Bismarck’s Health Insurance Act (1883). Originally, this healthcare act only applied to those who were lower paid workers, as well as some employees of the government. Over the years, the health plan slowly expanded and became available to just about everyone else. Today, about 90% of Germany’s population is provided health care under the “Statutory Health Insurance Plan”. This plan is quite basic and receives it’s funding through a variety of sickness funds. Standard Insurance is based on a sliding scale that goes by a person’s income. People with more money or higher paying jobs often opt out of the public plan and pay a higher tax to be covered under a private plan. Since much of the funding comes from the government as well as the people, it is hard to say whether healthcare in germany government controlled or private, is a better option. If thinking about the waiting lists that people who are ill must endure in order to receive health care, it seems that private may be the best option. The trouble is, most people are not eligible or cannot pay the higher taxes needed to go to private insurance plans.
This differs from certain other countries that allow people to choose freely, provided they can afford the fees associated with the change in insurance coverage. Many people who live in Germany state that the healthcare system is quite adequate, and no one seems to have many major complaints. Perhaps this is because the plan has been around for so many years, allowing the details to become clearly stated. German residents who have worked and paid taxes in their country are additionally cared for when they become too old to work and care for themselves. Many believe the US should follow suit and go to a standardized, public healthcare plan. In fact it seems that is what Obama is proposing in the 2010 healthcare reform bill.