Health Service International

Individuals living in the United States incur a lot more health spending per capita, when compared to other countries. In fact, when you look at Canada, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, and the USA; we at least doubled the other 4 countries in spending back in 2006.

The same goes for several other countries as well. According to 2008 reports, the 2nd closest country was Norway with a total health spending per capita at $5,003. During this time, the United States came in at $7,538.

In 2009, the United States spent 2.5 trillion dollars on health care. This was the equivalent to over $8,000 per person. In 2011 and beyond, experts believe these amounts could easily triple.

Canada

The International health care in Canada is far different from what the citizens of the United States experience. The biggest difference is their health care being based on need as opposed to the ability to pay. So, if you ever take a vacation to Canada and “need” medical assistance, it’s a common trait to treat you throughout their medical establishments.

Most of the money that pays for Canada’s universal health care is through personal, corporate, and sales taxes. Also, some provinces require residents to pay a health premium, which covers everyone. However, if a premium is not paid it does not mean those individuals will be negated coverage. Overall, there are 5 principles of the Canada Healthcare Act:

* Accessibility
* Comprehensiveness
* Portability
* Public Administration
* Universality

Japan

We find Japan’s International health care system to be quite interesting. They are able to spend half as much as the United States, yet their citizens live longer on average. They’ve been using universal health care for 50 years, so something has to be working right.

Over the last 66 years, life expectancy in Japan has increased by 31 years. However, 75% of the public hospitals stay open without positive gains. After careful research we have found that Japanese are less likely to have a heart attack than citizens in the United States, but more likely to die from it.

It goes to show that their International health care is flawed for a variety of reasons. Experts believe this has to do with fewer doctors, but patients are still seeing their doctors more than those in the U.S.A.

Mexico

While the United States seems to be the only country without universal healthcare, the International health care in Mexico still has a lot of work to do. They put a new plan into effect back in 2005, but experts don’t believe everyone is getting the International health care they were originally promised.

However, individuals with serious health issues have been treated. We’ve researched successful stories around Leukaemia, AIDS, breast cancer, and even eye surgery for the elderly. Whether or not they can sustain this approach with only $12 billion a year to utilize is still in question.

Netherlands

Those living in the Netherlands are now required to carry a standard set of International health care insurance. Unfortunately the coverage is decades behind that of other countries. The Dutch do not offer some of the expensive medications for serious ailments such as cancer.

One of the main benefits is that these insurance companies cannot refuse to insure you on a basic International health care package. Also, if you need to save money, purchasing a policy online can help.

The United States falls somewhere in between the countries above, especially when it comes to healthcare. If we took the time to learn a thing or two from each one, it might be possible to help those who need it most without spending a substantial amount of money.