International International Comparison of Health Comparison of Health Care Care Gene Chang Gene Chang
Dec 13, 2015
International Comparison of International Comparison of Health CareHealth Care
Gene ChangGene Chang
Life Expectancy (2009est)Life Expectancy (2009est)
Source: CIA World Facebook 2009 estimates
Life Expectancy (2004)Life Expectancy (2004)
Comparison among OCED countries
30 OCED countries, include:Japan, Switzerland, Iceland, Italy, Australia,
Sweden, Spain, Canada, Norway, France, New Zealand, Austria, Ireland, Luxembourg, Germany, Netherlands, Greece, Belgium, Finland, United Kingdom, Korea, Denmark, Portugal, United States, Czech Republic, Poland, Mexico, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Turkey
Do we spend too little?
Total expenditure % of GDP
U.S. 16% highest
Total expenditure on health, /capita, US$ PPP
$7290, more than double the average of OECD countries
Is that too much health money spent by the government?
Public expenditure on health, % total expenditure on health
U.S. is at the bottom at 45%, while other countries average 80%.
Is that we spend too much money on pharmaceuticals for
drug R and D?
Total expenditure on pharmaceuticals and other medical non-durables, % total expenditure on health
The U.S. spends 12% as compare other OECD countries’ average of 20%
The amount of the advanced, expensive equipment --- the proud
of the U.S. health care?MRI Unit, per million population
The U.S. has most, 25.9 units as compared with other OECD’s average of 10 units
Utilization of the MRI units:
Below average
Life Expectancy, rankingLife Expectancy, ranking
The U.S. is among the bottom. Ranking:
Japan, Switzerland, Iceland, Italy, Australia, Sweden, Spain, Canada, Norway, France, New Zealand, Austria, Ireland, Luxembourg, Germany, Netherlands, Greece, Belgium, Finland, United Kingdom, Korea, Denmark, Portugal, United States, Czech Republic, Poland, Mexico, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Turkey
Infant mortalityThe U.S. is among the highest, ranking:Iceland, Sweden, Luxembourg, Japan, Finland, Norway, Czech Republic, Portugal, Belgium, Greece, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Korea, Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada, Hungary, Poland, United States, Slovak Republic, Mexico, Turkey
Why market fails in the U.S. health care system?
The U.S. has most privatized health care system and relies more on the private sectors than other OECD countries, but is the least efficient to use money to generate results.
Possible answers
Health care is a public good.Asymmetric information between the sellers and buyers exists in the health care service.Lack regulation, similar to the problems in the financial market.Therefore, more money is spent on the less effective way, concentrating on expensive technology while ignore the basic, universal health care for the population.