The Road to a Happier Health Care System: Lessons from Denmark

The lack of an organized primary care system in the United States not only contributes to high health care costs, but also to decreased access to care, increased fragmentation, and poor health outcomes. The Scandinavian country of Denmark, with its universal health care system and “cozy and snug” lifestyle offers a model for reforming the US health care system. In Denmark, primary care is organized around a gatekeeping system, in which General Practitioners serve as gatekeepers to other medical services, including hospitals and specialists. This system is responsible for Denmark’s well-organized and coordinated primary care system, which largely contributes to lower health care expenditure, utilizes fewer hospital and specialist services, decreases the utilization of diagnostic services, and contributes to lower health care costs. Denmark also controls its health care costs through its no fault malpractice system and its mixed fee-for-service and capitation payment system. Through reforming its primary care system to be modeled after Denmark’s gatekeeping system, as well as the implementation of Denmark’s effective cost control methods, the US has the potential to drastically reform the American health care system and lead the US towards a healthy and affordable future