These funds differ from US insurers as while they are private, they are mandated to be not for profit. Price for care are set by annual meetings of these sickness funds and health care providers. Cost are contained by not allowing these insurors to be for profit, unlike the US where insurance profits greatly inflate the cost of healthcare. Cost are further kept low by decreasing payments to providers and hospitals. Providers and intuition in Germany however, complain that they are severely underpaid and they often have to cut corners to make …show more content…
Since we have a very ingrained private health insurance program in the US, changing to a German style system would require little change structural change. Regulations would need to placed on insurers and they would need to change to not for profit. One argument against the not for profit type program is that there is no incentives for insurers in the absence of profit. However se e in the German model that 200 different programs compete business and participant. The complete on timeliness of claims and quality of service as coverage provided by all insurers is the same. There is still much money to be made, many employees to be engaged. There is no large cost however form generating large profit to shareholders or few key executives. The other big cost savings is in reduction in payment to hospitals and provider. Meetings between institutions and insuror sets prices. In the US large hospital systems would have a stronger negotiating power and should be able to maintain better payments to providers and institutions yet reduce overall cost through the buying power of the insurance carriers. Currently the US has engagement of employers by providing coverage. The German system also shares cost with employers and employees, but because of cost saving as previously discussed rates are