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

Two hands reach up to a heart with a medical cross inside it

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.

More Resources:

Sarah Quebaltin, a regenerative design strategist from the Philippines, has 15 years of experience in peacebuilding, cultural heritage conservation, environmental education, and humanitarian assistance. She specializes in designing collaborative ecosystems through innovation labs and learning journeys, transforming Disaster Risk Reduction...

From Gabriel Pietrorazio / Civil Eats: Farm stands operating on sliding-scale and pay-what-you-can models are improving access to fresh, healthy food in communities battling poverty and food insecurity. In these models, residents who can afford to pay full price are...

From Cinnamon Janzer / Yes! Magazine: Occupy Wall Street ignited today’s debt cancellation movement. Groups like the Debt Collective are winning victories, canceling predatory student debt and pushing systemic reforms like tuition-free college. Though incremental, these changes are rewriting policy...

From Oscar Perry Abello / Next City: With funding from city governments, the nonprofit RIP Medical Debt acquires and cancels medical debt by negotiating directly with hospitals. The only requirement is being under 400% of the federal poverty line and...

Vitor Del Ray is the Principal of Instituto GUETTO, an organization he founded to combat structural and institutional racism by empowering Black, Brown, and Indigenous individuals for the workforce and promoting social mobility. Through initiatives like Mapa Preto da Educação...

From Thiago Alves / Brazil Reports: Bolosa Famila, a social welfare program in Brazil aims to help bring Brazilians out of poverty. Paying R$ 600 ($119 USD) per month enables families to cover basic monthly costs such as food. The...

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By continuing to browse, you agree to our use of cookies. For more details, please see our Privacy Policy.