On Saturday July 19, Brendan Ryan, will give a presentation: “A Patient’s Perspective on German Healthcare” at 12:30 – 2:30 in the Menomonie Public Library Community Room.

Speaker Background: Brendan Ryan, moved to Menomonie at age 3 with his mother, Margo Hecker, and his 2 sisters. A 2011 Menomonie High School grad, Brendan earned a BA degree from UW-Madison in German and Linguistics and a MA in European Linguistics from the Univ of Freiburg, Germany. He and wife Anna, a practicing pediatrician, and their 3 daughters are visiting family in Menomonie and Elk Mound.

Brendan has offered to share his perspective about German healthcare as he has experienced it.

Presentation Background: Germany’s healthcare system is funded by insurance contributions from everyone residing in Germany. Health Insurance is mandatory, either public and private. Premiums on the public insurance are based on income levels. Germany has the oldest national health insurance related to social legislation developed under Chancellor Otto von Bismarck in the 1880s. The 3 principles behind this legislation are that (1) the government is responsible for ensuring access to healthcare to those who need it; (2) Implementation of healthcare should be done with the smallest political and administrative influence; (3) Healthcare professionals should set procedures for the healthcare system. Mandatory healthcare has expanded from low income workers and government employees to now cover the majority of residents and citizens in Germany.

Lorene Vedder is a retired physician and the originator of Community Conversations.
She may be contacted at [email protected]