#10.
Switzerland
Switzerland has a high standard of living in many areas, and
this includes their health care. Switzerland has universal health
care that is compulsory for all citizens and residents of longer
than three months. They don’t provide free services, and the amount
that they spend as a country on health care is the second most in
the world. The only country that spends more on health care than
Switzerland per capita is the United States. All citizens must opt
into a private health care plan, so the private companies are
responsible for guaranteeing that all citizens are covered. Everyone
in Switzerland pays the same premiums for health care, and it isn’t
based on employment. Subsidies are available for people who can’t
afford their health care premiums.
#9. Japan
Japan’s health care system is essentially the opposite of
what is done in Switzerland. This proves that many different types
of approaches can be successful in providing high quality health
care. In Japan, all citizens must have coverage, and it can be
obtained either through the employer or through the national
program. Their per-person health care expenditures are a lot lower
than most other countries, and they have one of the highest living
expectancies in the world. They have very low infant mortality
rates, and high illness recovery rates. A wide variety of free
services are provided for those who choose Japan’s national
healthcare program. These include hospital visits, screening, and
exams. Japan is one of the healthiest countries in the world, and
their healthcare system is practical and efficient.
#8. Austria
Austria is an example of a country that has found success in
a healthcare system that has income-based pricing for health
insurance. All Austrians are entitled to free, basic health care
services. Amazingly, they also provide free healthcare services to
all visitors to their country and tourists. Austria has a two-tiered
system for healthcare, where basically everyone gets free
healthcare, but people with more money can choose to purchase
premium plans that they pay for. Some people will pay for their
service entirely to ensure better services. This two-tier system is
effective in giving everyone coverage, and allowing those who want
it to purchase superior coverage for themselves.
#7. San
Marino
Some of the countries on this list, like San Marino and
Malta, have the advantage of being tiny countries with small
populations. This simplifies things for the government when it comes
to supplying and providing healthcare for their citizens. This also
makes it so they can’t really be compared with big, diverse nations
like the United States. Still, it’s interesting to evaluate how
these countries in ideal circumstances have chosen to handle their
healthcare situations. Like Austria, San Marino has compulsory, free
healthcare for all citizens. Also like Austria, residents of San
Marino can chose to buy private healthcare packages if they can
afford it. The World Health Organization has ranked San Marino as
having on of the best healthcare systems in the world.
#6. England
Like the previous two countries on the list, England has
healthcare that is free for everyone and paid for with taxes.
Healthcare is provided by the National Health Service, but there are
private options as well. While basic services are free, people must
pay for eye services, ear services, and prescriptions, like in most
countries. The National Health Service is in charge of much of
England’s healthcare responsibilities, including employing doctors
and running hospitals. They rank highly on this list because of
inclusiveness, and reasonable pricing of their services. Even though
prescriptions aren’t covered, there is a cap on how much a patient
can be billed for prescription medication.
#5.
Singapore
It should be unsurprising that Singapore ranks highly on
this list. It’s an affluent country that ranks high in human
development and has a high GDP. It balances services between the
government and private companies. Base-level services are provided
by the government, and additional coverage can be purchased from
private companies. The government is in charge of regulating the
private companies and setting prices.
#4. Malta
Malta has a famed history of good healthcare services. Their
first recorded functional hospital was running in the 1300s. Today,
they provide free healthcare services for all citizens. Weekly tax
payments are made to give those who pay them access to government
health services. Their system of providing free healthcare at point
of service with optional private coverage is said to be based on
England’s system.
#3. Andorra
While Malta’s healthcare system is based on what is done in
England, Andorra has found success in modelling their system after
the French. Andorra ranks highly in most healthcare evaluations,
including the one conducted by the World Health Organization. This
is likely owing to the fact that it’s a tiny, rich country with a
small population and high GDP. Healthcare is run and coordinated by
the government in Andorra. This system obviously suits the needs of
the population in Andorra. Only around eight percent of Andorrans
don’t have health coverage, a startlingly low number.
#2. Italy
While they have the option to pay for it, hardly any
Italians have private health insurance. This is likely because
they’re covered so well by the national system. Italy has a healthy
population, with one of the highest life expectancies in the world.
They also spend less on their healthcare services than almost any
other country. Prescriptions are subsidized, and public hospital
visits and procedures are completely free for those who participate
in the national health coverage services. Beyond the fact that
coverage is affordable and efficient, Italy is also known for having
very good doctors and hospitals. These factors combine to give Italy
one of the highest-ranked healthcare systems in the world.
#1. France -
Best Healthcare System in World!
For years, France has been considered to have the most
efficient, functional healthcare system in the world by many,
including the World Health Organization. They use a combination of
private and public coverage, and nearly everyone in France has
health insurance. Most people in France have additional private
insurance, and almost all medical bills in France are covered by the
government. France has one of the top rankings when it comes to
efficiency in spending on medical care, which allows the government
to pay around seventy percent of all medical bills. Perhaps the most
telling statistic is that France is reported to have the lowest
amount of deaths that could have been prevented with basic medical
insurance of any country. France spends more on healthcare than any
other European country, but they still spend less than the US does.
