What Germany’s Coal Miners Can Teach America About Medical Debt

From Noam N. Levey / KFF Health News: Germany, like the U.S., has a largely private healthcare system that relies on private doctors and private insurers. Like Americans, many Germans enroll in a health plan through work, splitting the cost with their employer. But Germany strictly limits how much patients have to pay out of their own pockets for a trip to the doctor, the hospital, or the pharmacy, making medical debt practically nonexistent.

Read the original story here.

Read more articles on healthcare systems related to wellbeing.

Issue Areas:

Employee Wellbeing, Medical Debt

Impact Areas:

Equity, Health and Wellness

Actors:

Government, Healthcare Organizations

Communities Served:

Workers

Strategies:

Easing Economic Burdens for Individuals

Success Factors:

Eliminating Barriers, Expanding Access, Help Rather Than Punishment, Meeting People Where They Are At, Overcoming the Big Challenges

Geographic Region:

Europe

Countries:

Germany

Date:

December 14, 2022

More Resources:

Conversation with Dr. Courtney Howard

Dr Courtney Howard is an Emergency Physician in Yellowknife, and is a nationally- and globally-recognized expert on the impacts of climate change on health, and in the broader field of planetary health. As the first female board President of the...

A Simple Fix Lifts Single Moms Out of Poverty in India’s Slums

From MaryLou Costa / Reasons to Be Cheerful: Fund a Mom gives 40 single mothers in Jaipur, India, $60 a month with no strings attached. The guaranteed income program helps them cover necessary expenses giving them the breathing room to...

Conversation with Lindsay Morgan Tracy and Lori Pfingst

Lindsay Morgan Tracy is the Innovator-in-Chief for the Department of Social & Health Services in Washington State working on the Blueprint for an Equitable Future: The 10-Year Plan to Dismantle Poverty in Washington State. She is a staunch advocate of...

The Supermarket Lending Shoppers Money for Groceries

From Katherine Latham / Reasons to Be Cheerful: In the United Kingdom, the supermarket Iceland Foods gives out interest-free microloans on pre-loaded cards during school holidays for families to spread out their grocery bills over time when finances are most...

Banks For The People

From Piper French / Noema: Public banks are owned and run by governments, and because they store money for the state instead of individuals, they can invest back into the communities they serve instead of extracting from them in the...

Pune’s new lighthouse guides turbulent youth to make smart choices

From Prachi Bari / The Hindustan Times: The city of Pune has a program called Lighthouse that provides services to underprivileged youths skill building for career pursuits. Read the original story here. Read more articles about youth-focused wellbeing initiatives.

...