The current administration has increased the budget of the Department
of Health (DOH) for the third straight year. The Philhealth enrolment aims for
universal coverage and will be near its goal of 100% in the near future. New
equipment have been bought for the tertiary hospitals operated by the
government and additional staffing has been hired. The bed capacities of the
tertiary hospitals have been increased and Rural Health Units have added
capabilities and capacities. Yet, the Philippine healthcare system has a lot of
ways to go.
Compare the Philippines with the United States and the gap will be more
than glaring. But the United States does not even belong in the Top 10
countries in relation to healthcare systems. In fact it is not even in the Top
20.
Here are the 10 Countries with the Top Healthcare in 2016
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
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
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.
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