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CIAO Focus, 2009: Health Care around the Globe
UNITED KINGDOM
- Percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) spent on health care: 8.3
- Average family premium: None; funded by taxation.
- Co-payments: None for most services; some co-pays for dental care, eyeglasses and 5 percent of prescriptions. Young people and the elderly are exempt from all drug co-pays.
JAPAN
- Percentage of GDP spent on health care: 8
- Average family premium: $280 per month, with employers paying more than half.
- Co-payments: 30 percent of the cost of a procedure, but the total amount paid in a month is capped according to income.
GERMANY
- Percentage of GDP spent on health care: 10.7
- Average family premium: $750 per month; premiums are pegged to patients' income.
- Co-payments: 10 euros ($15) every three months; some patients, like pregnant women, are exempt.
TAIWAN
- Percentage GDP spent on health care: 6.3
- Average family premium: $650 per year for a family for four.
- Co-payments: 20 percent of the cost of drugs, up to $6.50; up to $7 for outpatient care; $1.80 for dental and traditional Chinese medicine. There are exemptions for major diseases, childbirth, preventive services, and for the poor, veterans, and children.
SWITZERLAND
- Percentage of GDP spent on health care: 11.6
- Average monthly family premium: $750, paid entirely by consumers; there are government subsidies for low-income citizens.
- Co-payments: 10 percent of the cost of services, up to $420 per year.
Source: PBS Frontline
From the CIAO Database:
Blind Optimism: Challenging the myths about private health care in poor countries
The OECD's Study on Health Status Determinant: Roles of Lifestyle, Environment, Health-Care Resources and Spending Efficiency: An Analysis
Aging Risk and Health Care Cost in Korea
U.S. National Security and Global
Health
Health Care in Germany
Obamacare to Come:
Seven Bad Ideas for Health Care Reform
Outside Sources: *
The World Health Report 2008: Primary Health Care (WHO)
http://www.who.int/whr/2008/whr08_en.pdf
WHO Podcast on Primary Health Care
http://terrance.who.int/mediacentre/podcasts/WHO_podcast_050.mp3
Sick around the World (PBS Frontline)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/
OECD Health Data 2009 - Country Notes and press releases
http://www.oecd.org/document/46/0,3343,en_2649_34631_34971438_1_1_1_1,00.html
Health Spending and the Economic Crisis (OECD)
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/63/18/43305158.pdf
* Outside links are not maintained. For broken outside links, CIAO recommends the Way Back Machine.
