Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
Highlights from The Economist’s article on Health Care in India: India spends only about 5% of GDP in medical care. Of this spending only one fifth is public spending. With an overwhelmed public sector, relatively low levels of insurance, a premium is put on frugal innovation. Fortis, a hospital chain in New Delhi, elects to…
Canada has a single payer system but the provinces have the bulk of the responsibility of running the health care system for their own residents. In order to qualify for federal funding, each province must meet the following criteria. Universality. Available to all provincial residents on uniform terms and conditions; Comprehensiveness. Covering all medically necessary…
The most significant difference between Germany’s health care system and that of other countries is its use of sickness funds. All Germans with incomes under €46,300 are required to enroll in one of the sickness funds. Those with higher incomes can either join a sickness fund themselves or opt out and instead buy private insurance.…
I have already written about Switzerland in previous posts (see Swiss Healthcare Sytem: Part I, and Part II). Still of all the countries with universal health care, Switzerland’s is the most market-oriented and merits discussion. Switzerland’s health care spending as a percentage of GDP is second only behind the U.S. (11.6% of GDP for Switzerland,…
Great Britain represents all that is good and bad with centralized, single-payer health care systems. Health care spending is fairly low (7.5% of GDP) and very equitable. Long wait lists for treatment, however are endemic and rationing pervades the system. Patients have little choice of provider and little access to specialists. Percent Insured. ~100% Funding.…
Greece has an employer-based health insurance system in which all Greek employers enroll their employees in one of the “social insurance funds.” Due to strict regulation by the Greek Ministry of Social Health and Cohesion, Greece in essence has a single payer system. For instance, the Ministry controls employee contribution rates, insurance benefit packages, and…
Portugal is similar to Norway in that it is a very centralized health care system. Despite the fact that Portugal ranks highly according to the WHO, there is widespread discontent with the Portuguese system. Most individuals in Portugal are insured by the state-run, single-payer National Health System. However, 25% of the population is insured through…
All Norwegians are insured by the National Insurance Scheme. This is a universal, tax-funded, single-payer health system. Compared to France, Italy, Spain and Japan, Norway has the most centralized system. Percent Insured. 100%. All Norwegian citizens and residents are covered. Funding. The National Insurance Scheme is funded by general tax revenues. There is no earmarked…
Japan has universal health insurance based around a mandatory, employment-based insurance. “The Employee Health Insurance Program requires all companies with 700 of more employees to provide workers with health insurance among some 1,800 ‘society-managed’ plans. Nearly 85% of these plans cover a single company…Most of the rest of the [health insurance plans] are industry-based.” Small…
The Spanish have one of the most centralized health care systems in the world. Patients have no choice of provider and there is almost no cost sharing. Like most centralized systems without cost-sharing, there are significant waiting times for procedures. This has resulted in a 2 tiered system where 12% of the population receives higher…