Top 10 best health care system in the world

The best healthcare system in the world has given many the curiosity to dig for more information.

However, individuals have different views about the healthcare system of different countries and each country has a different healthcare system they consider appealing to the nation’s management.

To some people, there is no standard way how to rate the best healthcare system in the world because of variations in different regions like population and geographical state which have brought many unsettled controversies to the table.

The WHO rankings on the best healthcare system in the world are claimed to have been subject to many and varied criticisms since its publication in 2000.

Introduction to the best healthcare system in the world

Concerns raised over the five factors considered, data sets used and comparison methodologies have led health bodies and political commentators from different countries on the list to question the efficacy of its results and validity of any conclusions drawn.

Such criticisms of the WHO to rank the best health care system in the world must also however be understood in the context of a predisposition to analytical bias commensurate with an individual nation’s demographics, socio-economics, and politics as earlier mentioned.

In over 10 years of discussion and controversy over the WHO Ranking of the best health care system in the world, there is still no consensus about how a world health system ranking should be compiled.

The health care system and maintenance are one of the costly items in a country’s budget therefore, it is considered an essential factor of deliberation.

The performance of health systems has been a major concern for executive and legislative bodies for many years.  Many countries have in recent times introduced reforms in their health sectors with the aim of improving performance.

Measurement of performance requires an explicit framework defining the goals of a health system against which outcomes can be judged and performance quantified.

Factors to quantify the best health care system in the world:

• Responsiveness to health or medical cases
• Fairness in financing the health system
• Level of distribution to a health care facility
• The efficiency of the health system
• Quality and Equity of distribution

The improvement in the health of the population both in terms of levels attained and distribution is an essential tool, that can be used to rate the best health care system in the world.

While enhanced responsiveness of the health system to the legitimate expectations of the population refers to the non-health improving dimensions of the interactions of the populace with the health system and reflects the respect of persons and client orientation in the delivery of health services.

As with health outcomes, both the level of responsiveness and its distribution is important. The third intrinsic goal is fairness in financing and financial risk protection.

The aim is to ensure that poor households should not pay a higher share of their discretionary expenditure on health than richer households, and all households should be protected against catastrophic financial losses related to ill health as in the case of the universal health system.

This article, “the best health care system in the world” is to bring to light a few things you need to know about the health system in a few selected countries. Some of the leading world powers are selected and their health systems are briefly analyzed.

Countries with the best health care system in the world

• New Zealand
• Austria
• Denmark
• Sweden
• Canada
• United States of America
• France
• Australia
• Netherlands
• Germany
• United kingdoms
• Japan
• Israel
• South Korea
• Switzerland

New Zealand in the best health care system in the world

The Netherlands is known for its universal and excellent standard of healthcare and it’s regularly rated among the best health care system in the world.

The Netherlands has universal healthcare, but the government requires all adults living or working in the Netherlands to have basic insurance.

The basic plan covers the basic standard of care like visits to hospitals. Some treatments may have an excess for which you need to pay a portion out of pocket.

Many people also choose to get a higher level of insurance coverage for an additional fee that compensates for other treatments not covered on the basic insurance package.

Austria

Austria has a two-tier health care system in which virtually all individuals receive publicly funded care, but they also have the option to purchase supplementary private health insurance.

Care involving private insurance plans (sometimes referred to as “comfort class” care) can include more flexible visiting hours and private rooms and doctors. Some individuals choose to completely pay for their care privately.

Austrian health care spending as a percentage of GDP for 1970 to 2015, compared with other nations. Healthcare in Austria is universal for residents of Austria as well as those from other EU countries.

Enrollment in the public health care system is generally automatic and is linked to employment. However,  insurance is also guaranteed to co-insured persons (i.e. spouses and dependents), pensioners, students, the disabled, and those receiving unemployment benefits.

All insured persons are issued an e-Card, which must be presented when visiting a doctor (however, some doctors only treat privately insured patients). The e-Card allows for the digitization of health claims and replaces the earlier health insurance voucher.

Hospitals and clinics can be either state-run or privately run.  Austria has a relatively high density of hospitals and physicians; In 2011 there were 4.7 Physicians per 1000 people, which is slightly greater than the average for Europe.

Denmark among the health care system in the world

Denmark has the highest employment rate in Europe (74 percent in 2015). In the last three years, the World Bank has ranked Denmark as the best country for business in Europe and third-best in the world after Singapore and New Zealand.

In addition, Transparency International ranked Denmark as the least corrupt country in the world in 2015. In relation, the health care system of Denmark is a standard that most countries cling to.

Many scholars have rated Denmark among the best health care system in the world.

The Danish healthcare system is universal and based on the principles of free and equal access to healthcare for all citizens. The healthcare system offers high-quality services, the majority of which are financed by general taxes.

Sweden among the health care system in the world

Healthcare in Sweden is largely tax-funded. The system ensures everyone has equal access to healthcare facilities and services.

This health care system is mainly government-funded, universal for all citizens, and decentralized, although private health care also exists. Private healthcare is relatively scarce in Sweden, and even those private institutions work under the mandated city councils.

Canada

Canada’s health care system is a publicly funded health care system and is best described as an interlocking set of ten provincial and three territorial health systems.

Canada has a decentralized, universal, publicly funded health system called Canadian Medicare.

Health care is funded and administered primarily, by the country’s 13 provinces and territories. Each has its own insurance plan, and each receives cash assistance from the federal government on a per-capita basis. Many scholars have rated Canada among the best health care system in the world

The United States of America

The United States does not have a universal healthcare program, unlike most other developed countries. In 2013, 64% of health spending was paid for by the government, and funded via programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Veterans Health Administration.

This system primarily relies on employers to voluntarily provide health insurance coverage to their employees and dependents.

The U.S. health care system is unique among advanced industrialized countries. Rather than operating a national health service, a single-payer national health insurance system, or a multi-payer universal health insurance fund, the U.S. health care system can best be described as a hybrid system.

The federal government accounted for 28 percent of spending while state and local governments accounted for 17 percent. Most health care, even if publicly financed, is delivered privately.

France

The health care system in France is made up of a fully integrated network of public hospitals, private hospitals, doctors, and other medical service providers. It is a universal service providing health care for every citizen, irrespective of wealth, age, or social status.

The French health care system is funded in part by obligatory health contributions levied on all salaries, and paid by employers, employees, and the self-employed; in part by central government funding; and in part by users who normally have to pay a small fraction of the cost of most acts of health care that they receive.

Australia in the best health care system in the world

The Australian public access health care facilities within the public health system for free or at a lower cost through Medicare (funded by tax).

The private system includes health service providers that are owned and managed privately, such as private hospitals, specialist medical and allied health, and pharmacies.

Every Australian is eligible for Medicare the country’s national universal health care program and can receive medical care at public hospitals and other health care providers, usually with no out-of-pocket costs except for outpatient prescription drugs and some auxiliary services.

Netherlands among the best health care system in the world

The Netherlands has universal healthcare, but the government requires all adults living or working in the Netherlands to have basic insurance.

The basic plan will cost € 100-120 out of pocket. If you’re employed, your employer will pay a small percentage towards medical coverage as well.

Germany

Germany has a universal multi-payer health care system. Employers and their employees pay for most of the health care system in Germany through premiums.

All workers contribute about 7.5 percent of their salary to a public health insurance pool. According to the Euro health consumer index, which placed it in the seventh position in its 2015 survey, Germany has long had the most restriction-free and consumer-oriented healthcare system in Europe.

Patients are allowed to seek almost any type of care they wish whenever they want it.

United kingdoms in the beast health care system in the world

The health care system here is devolved, with England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales each having their own systems of publicly funded healthcare, funded by and accountable to separate governments and parliaments, together with the smaller private sector and voluntary provision.

The UK has a government-sponsored universal healthcare system called the National Health Service (NHS). The NHS consists of a series of publicly funded healthcare systems in the UK. It includes the National Health Services (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland. Citizens are entitled to healthcare under this system but have the option to buy private health insurance as well.

The NHS Plan promises more power and information for patients, more hospitals and beds, more doctors and nurses, significantly shorter waiting times for appointments, improved healthcare for older patients, and tougher standards for NHS organizations.

The UK’s health care system is one of the most efficient in the world, according to a study of seven industrialized countries. The Commonwealth Fund report looked at five areas of performance – quality, efficiency, access to care, equity, and healthy lives, The Netherlands ranked first overall, closely followed by the UK and Australia.

The UK performed well when it came to the quality of care and access to care. The UK also ranked first in its efficiency, which was measured by examining total national spending on healthcare as a percentage of GDP, as well as the amount spent on healthcare administration and insurance.

Israel

Healthcare in Israel is universal and participation in a medical insurance plan is compulsory.

All Israeli residents are entitled to basic health care as a fundamental right. In 2015, Israel was ranked the sixth-healthiest country in the world by Bloomberg rankings and ranked eighth in terms of life expectancy.

South Korea is among the countries with the best health care system

South Korea is one of the world’s most rapidly industrializing countries. Along with industrialization has come universal health insurance. Within the span of 12 years, South Korea went from private voluntary health insurance to government-mandated universal coverage.

South Korea’s healthcare security system has three arms: the National Health Insurance Program,. Medical Aid Program, and Long-term Care Insurance Program.

Switzerland

Healthcare in Switzerland is universal and is regulated by the Swiss Federal Law on Health Insurance.

There are no free state-provided health services, but private health insurance is compulsory for all persons residing in Switzerland (within three months of taking up residence or being born in the country).

The Swiss healthcare system compares well with other OECD countries. It has universal health insurance coverage, permitting access to a broad range of modern facilities and efficient medical services.

The question now; is there really the best health care system in the world?

If you think there is more to this article you can drop your comment in the comment section.

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