| Continent | Country | Organizational structure |
Comparisons |
||
| Europe | Spain |
Provides universal coverage and free healthcare. Has both public and private healthcare systems. National system decentralized to create regional healthcare authorities. Three organizational levels: Central governed by the Spanish Ministry of Health, 7 Autonomous Communities for regional health, and Local, which works under the Autonomous Communities. The Inter-territorial Board of the National Health System (CISNS) coordinates health delivery amongst these levels (HealthManagement.org, 2019). |
Healthcare Spending per capita $2,506 per capita |
Life Expectancy 83.49 years |
Health Outcomes (Mortality rate) 9.213 deaths per 1000 people. |
| Asia | Japan |
Universal healthcare system. Has employment-based health insurance, while the national medical insurance covers those self-employed. Japan prohibits mixed private and insurance payments. No premium fees are charged to beneficiaries for special treatments. |
$4,169 per capita | 84.10 years | 10.865 deaths per 1000 people |
| Africa | South Africa |
Universal healthcare system, the public sector District Health System. Has both public and private healthcare systems. Government finances public health. Access to private health services is limited to an individual’s ability to pay. The Medical Schemes Act regulates all Private health insurance providers. |
$499 per capita | 63.54 years | 9.468 deaths per 1000 people |
| South America | Brazil |
Has both private and public healthcare systems. The Public system is segmented into two: free access to healthcare for all citizens financed by public resources and the other segment for public employees financed through public resources and the beneficiaries' contributions. The private segment is also has split into two: the supplementary system and the direct access to private practitioners, often paid during visits. |
$929 per capita | 75.76 years | 6.5 per 1,000 people. |
The US healthcare system key characteristics as discussed by Shi & Singh (2014):
Has a hybrid healthcare system, which is a mixture of public and private programs.
It is publicly and privately-funded by health insurance companies.
The federal and state government are the main public payers, followed by private insurance companies, while households pay the rest.
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There is no universal coverage for its population.
Comparisons
Based on the above comparisons, it is evident that the US spends the most on healthcare ( Department for Professional Employees, 2016) . In 2019, the US spent $10,246 per capita on healthcare, while countries like Spain spent $2,506 per capita. Likewise, Japan spent $4,169 per capita, South Africa spent $499 per capita, while Brazil spent $929 per capita.
The US has an average life expectancy of 78.87 years while Spain and Japan have an average of 83.49 years and 84.10 years, respectively , which means that the Spanish and the Japanese healthcare systems are more adequate than that of the US. South Africa has a life expectancy of 63.54 years, while Brazil has a life expectancy of 75.76 years. These two nations, compared to the US, have poor healthcare systems.
Comparing health outcomes based on the mortality rate, the US records 8.880 deaths per 1000 people while Japan has 10.865. On the other hand, South Africa records 9.468 deaths per 1000 people, while Brazil has 6.5. Therefore, based on mortality rates, the US healthcare system outdoes the Japanese, Spanish, and South Africa healthcare systems; however, Brazil proves to have better healthcare than the US due to the low mortality rate. Therefore, it is evident that spending more on healthcare does not always promise better healthcare outcomes.
References
Department for Professional Employees. (2016, August). The U.S. health care system: An international perspective . Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO. https://www.dpeaflcio.org/factsheets/the-us-health-care-system-an-international-perspective
Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2014). Delivering health care in America . Jones & Bartlett Learning.
