National Health Care Systems Statistics

A Nation	B London School Rank	C WHO Rank	D who acc DALE	E TYPE OF HEALTH CARE SYSTEM	F Per capita spending 02 K$	G % spending public/% spending private, public spending/total  spending	H   F TIMES G (% spending public)  DIVIDED BY 10	I   Estimate per capita public spending $K
sweden	1	12	4	Sweden has a compulsory, predominantly tax-based health care system providing coverage for the entire resident population. Voluntary insurance is very limited and typically provides only supplementary coverage to the public health system.	2.5	7.4,1.3, 7.4/8.7=0.85	185	2.1
Norway	2	6	11	The important role played by the public sector in health and social care in Norway has its foundations in the social-democratic welfare state. Until recently, the Norwegian public health care system has been the major provider of professional health services for its citizens, with a goal to provide services for all according to need and independent of economic status and place of residence. Achieving these objectives has not been completely fulfilled. The private market for health and social care services is growing, and there is an ongoing public debate about the future organization of the public health care system in general.
australia	3	16	2	Eligible Australian residents are covered by Medicare, which is the national health care program. Medicare is partially funded by a levy on income and for eligible people it provides access to free treatment as a public (Medicare) patient in a public hospital, and free or subsidised medical treatment by practitioners such as doctors, specialists and participating optometrists...All Australian residents have access to Medicare...Australia also has a national system for subsidising listed prescription medicines. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme subsidises the cost of over 1,350 essential items, ensuring all Australian residents have access to necessary and lifesaving medicines at an affordable price...Private health insurance is available for those who wish to cover the costs of becoming a private patient. Private patients have more control in choosing their treating doctor in hospital and in some instances can reduce their waiting time for elective surgery by having treatment in a private hospital...Private health insurance also offers cover for some or all of the costs of other services not covered by Medicare, such as ambulance transport, dental, optical appliances, physiotherapy, pharmaceutical (non PBS) and a wide range of other services.
canada	4	14	9	(Me) Canada's health insurance system has been a public funded government system, with use of medical care outside this system prohibited, unless the medical care is purchased outside of Canada or is a type of care not covered by the public system. The gripe with this system has been that in non-lethal cases there has been suffering and inconvenience; thus in a recent case the Canadian court ruled that the govt cannot bar private health care while failing to provide adequate public health care.
france	5	1	3	The French health system is based on a national social insurance system complemented by elements of tax-based fi nancing (especially the General Social Tax - CSG) and complementary voluntary health insurance (VHI).	2.7	7.2,2.4, 7.2/9.6=0.75	194	2.0
germany	6	13	14	The roots of the German health system date back to 1883, when nationwide health insurance became compulsory. Today’s system is based on social health insurance and characterized by three co-existing schemes. In 2003, about 87% of the population were covered by statutory health insurance; based on income, membership was mandatory for about 77% and voluntary for 10%. An additional 10% of the population took out private health insurance; 2% were covered by governmental schemes and 0.2% were not covered by any third-party-payer scheme.	2.8	8.0,2.8 8.0/10.8=0.74	224	2.1
spain	7	3	5	The Spanish health care system is tax-based. During the last two decades responsibility for health care largely has been devolved to Spain’s 17 regions - the autonomous communities. The National Health Survey of 1997 showed population coverage to be 99.8%, including the low-income and immigrant population. Civil servants are free to opt for coverage under one of the three publicly funded mutual funds. Private insurance companies provide complementary health care coverage and increasingly cover services outside the basic package. Often they are bought also to avoid waiting lists. In 2003, 18.7% of the population purchased private insurance policies.	1.6	5.4,2.1 5.4/7.5=0.72	86	1.2
finland	8	15	13	The Finnish health care system is mainly tax fi nanced. Both the state and municipalities have the right to levy taxes. In 2002 about 43% of total health care costs were fi nanced by the municipalities, 17% by the state (mainly through state subsidies), 16% by National Health Insurance (NHI) and about 24% by private sources.	1.9	5.3,1.7, 5.3/7.0=0.76	101	1.4
italy	9	2	6	In 1978 the National Health Service (NHS) was established. The system aimed to grant universal access to a uniform level of care throughout the country, fi nanced by general taxation... Furthermore patients need to pay out-of-pocket for private health care services and over-thecounter drugs. Approximately 15% of the population has complementary private health insurance that is either individually subscribed or offered by employers.	2.2	6.2,2.1 6.2/8.3=0.75	136	1.6
denmark	10	17	17	Denmark has a tax-based, decentralized health system that provides universal coverage for all Danish residents. Hospital care, general practicioners’ (GP) and public health services are free at the point of use...Private payments accounted for 17% of total expenditure on health and can be attributed to out-of-pocket expenses such as co-payments for physiotherapy, dental care, spectacles and pharmaceuticals as well as contributions to voluntary health insurance schemes. About 30% of the population purchases VHI in order to cover the costs of the statutory co-payments.	2.5	7.1,1.3 7.1/8.4=0.85	177	2.1
netherlands	11	9	8	The Netherlands has a health insurance based system. Three parallel compartments of insurance coexist: the fi rst includes a national health insurance for exceptional medical expenses. The second compartment comprises different regulatory regimes - compulsory sickness funds for persons under a certain income on one side and private, mostly voluntary health insurance on the other. The third compartment includes voluntary supplementary health insurance...forms of care that are considered less vital, such as dental care, prostheses, hearing aids, etc., and therefore not covered by the other compartments. The costs in this sector are covered largely by supplementary private medical insurance.	2.6	5.7,3.2 5.7/8.9=0.64	148	1.7
greece	12	8	7	The Greek health care system is characterized by the coexistence of the National Health Service (NHS), a compulsory social insurance and a voluntary private health insurance system. The NHS provides universal coverage to the population operating on the principles of equity, equal access to health services for all and social cohesion. In addition, 97% of the population is covered by approximately 35 different social insurance funds (compulsory SI) and 8% of the population maintains complementary voluntary health insurance coverage, bought on the private insurance market.	1.8	5.2,4.2 5.2/9.4=0.55	94	1.7
japan	13	5	1	Japan's health care system is characterized by universal coverage, free choice of health care providers by patients, a multi-payer, employment-based system of financing, and a predominant role for private hospitals and fee-for-service practice. Virtually all residents of Japan are covered without regard to any medical problems they may have (so-called predisposing conditions) or to their actuarial risk of succumbing to illness. Premiums are based on income and ability to pay. Although there is strong government regulation of health care financing and the operation of health insurance, control of the delivery of care is left largely to medical professionals and there appears to be no public concern about health care rationing.
austria	14	4	12	The Austrian health system is shaped by statutory health insurance that covers about 95% of the population on a mandatory and 2% on a voluntary basis. Of the 3.1% of the population not covered in 2003, 0.7% had taken out voluntary substitutive insurance, while 2.4% had no cover at all (for example some Austria groups of unemployed as well as asylum seekers).	2.2	5.3,2.7 5.3/8.0=0.66	117	1.5
new zealand	15	19	19	New Zealand's health care system is mainly funded by the Government. If you have New Zealand residence you are entitled to receive publicly funded health and disability service in New Zealand. Government funding means you are eligible for free public hospital services, subsidies on prescription items and a range of support services for people with disabilities. The Government also provides subsidies for visits to the family doctor (General Practitioner or GP) and prescriptions for young children, people who need frequent health care and people on low incomes.
US	16	18	15	Health care is privately funded except for those over 65 and the disabled. The emergency health care costs of the uninsured are paid for by hospitals
Ireland	17	11	16	All residents are eligible for all services. Category I patients, 29% of the population, hold medical cards that entitle them to free services, particularly in primary care. The qualifi cation criteria for these cards are largely income- and age-related. Category II patients have cover for public hospital services, subject to some capped charges, but must make a contribution towards the cost of most other services...Approximately one quarter of the population have neither a medical card nor health insurance. In-dividuals join VHI because this guarantees more immediate access to some hospital interventions. ...The health service remains predominantly tax-funded: approximately 75.2% of health expenditure came from public sources in 2002 (fi gure 1). Other expenditure can be attributed to outof- pocket payments for primary care services, pharmaceuticals and private hospital treatment as well as payments to voluntary health insurance providers.	2.4	4.9,1.6 4.9/6.5=0.75	118	1.8
UK	18	10	10	(The UK funds) health care mainly through national taxation, deliver services through public providers and have devolved purchasing responsibilities to local bodies...Coverage is available to all legal residents of the United Kingdom...In 2001, 11.5% of the population had supplementary private medical insurance...Private funding can be broken down into out-of-pocket payments for prescription drugs, ophthalmic and dental services, and private medical insurance premiums.	2.2	6.2,1.4 6.2/7.6=0.82	136	1.8
Portugal	19	7	18	The Portuguese health system is characterized by three co-existing systems: the National Health Service (NHS), special social health insurance schemes for certain professions (health subsystems) and voluntary private health insurance. The NHS provides universal coverage. In addition, about 25% of the population is covered by the health subsystems, 10% by private insurance schemes and another 7% by mutual funds.	1.7	6.3,2.9 6.3/9.2=0.68	44	1.2