Which country's healthcare system is the most expensive in the world?

Asked by: Amiya Runolfsdottir  |  Last update: August 23, 2023
Score: 4.3/5 (33 votes)

As our chart illustrates, U.S. per-capita healthcare spending (including public and private as well as compulsory and voluntary spending) is higher than anywhere else in the world, with second-placed Germany trailing quite far behind.

Is American healthcare the most expensive in the world?

While U.S. health care spending is the highest in the world, Americans overall visit physicians less frequently than residents of most other high-income countries. At four visits per person per year, Americans see the doctor less often than the OECD average.

Which country is #1 in healthcare?

1- Denmark

The Danish universal health care system provides Danes with mostly free medical care and is predominantly financed through income tax. All permanent residents are entitled to a national health insurance card, and most examinations and treatments are free of charge.

Why is American health care the most expensive in the world?

There are many factors that contribute to the high cost of healthcare in the country. These include wasteful systems, rising drug costs, medical professional salaries, profit-driven healthcare centers, the type of medical practices, and health-related pricing.

Which country has the cheapest healthcare?

6 Countries With Good and Affordable Healthcare (2023)
  • Mexico.
  • Malaysia.
  • Colombia.
  • Portugal.
  • Spain.
  • Costa Rica.

What experts say about who has the world's best health-care system | Opinion

23 related questions found

How does the US rank in healthcare?

Despite having the most expensive health care system, the United States ranks last overall compared with six other industrialized countries—Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom—on measures of quality, efficiency, access to care, equity, and the ability to lead long, healthy, ...

Where is the most affordable healthcare in the US?

The western part of the country has many of the cheapest states for health care, including Washington, Nevada, Hawaii, New Mexico and Oregon.

Is healthcare in the US too expensive?

The United States has one of the highest costs of healthcare in the world. In 2021, U.S. healthcare spending reached $4.3 trillion, which averages to about $12,900 per person. By comparison, the average cost of healthcare per person in other wealthy countries is only about half as much.

How does U.S. health care compare to other countries?

Health spending per person in the U.S. was $12,914 in 2021, which was over $5,000 more than any other high-income nation. The average amount spent on health per person in comparable countries ($6,125) is less than half of what the U.S. spends per person.

When did U.S. health care become so expensive?

Health care costs began rapidly rising in the 1960s as more Americans became insured and the demand for health care services surged. Health care costs have also increased due to preventable diseases, including complications related to nutrition or weight issues.

What hospital is ranked 1 in us?

1 hospital in the nation by U.S. News & World Report — seventh consecutive year. Mayo Clinic has been ranked the No. 1 hospital in the nation for the seventh consecutive year in U.S. News & World Report's 2022–2023 “Best Hospitals” rankings.

What countries have the poorest healthcare?

What countries lack healthcare the most?
  • Liberia – 14 (4.9M)
  • Malawi – 19 (19.7M)
  • Niger – 19 (23.1M)
  • Ethiopia – 22 (110.1M)
  • Sierra Leone – 22 (7.8M)
  • Tanzania – 30 (60.9M)
  • Somalia – 35 (15.6M)
  • Chad – 37 (15.8M)

Is healthcare cheaper in UK or US?

Reality Check verdict: If you look at every penny spent on health by anyone in the country, then the UK spends about half as much on health as the US does. But if you compare the amount spent on the NHS with the amount spent by the US government on public healthcare, the difference is much smaller.

Why is America so expensive?

Inflation is so high because many consumers are spending more money than they usually do, and because supply chain issues and global fuel shortages have lingered since the pandemic. That high demand and low supply have led to an increase in prices.

Why healthcare should be cheaper in the US?

U.S. health care spending is unsustainable.

Rising health care costs both contribute to our federal deficit and reduce our ability to spend in other important areas, including education, housing, and economic development.

Who has better healthcare than America?

Health Care System Performance Rankings

The U.S. ranks #11 — last. Exhibit 2 shows the extent to which the U.S. is an outlier: its performance falls well below the average of the other countries and far below the two countries ranked directly above it, Switzerland and Canada.

Is US healthcare better than Europe?

However, despite higher healthcare spending, America's health outcomes are not any better than those in other developed countries. The United States actually performs worse in some common health metrics like life expectancy, infant mortality, and unmanaged diabetes.

How does US healthcare compare to China?

Here are some of the key differences between China's healthcare system vs United States healthcare: 95%+ of Chinese citizens have public health insurance — significantly higher than in the US. However, even with public insurance, patients in China need to pay some fees and copay costs.

Who pays for healthcare in the US?

Federal taxes fund public insurance programs, such as Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and military health insurance programs (Veteran's Health Administration, TRICARE).

Why is California health care so expensive?

Important factors underlying the price problem include high levels of health care industry consolidation coupled with limited oversight of prices, and the high degree of administrative complexity in our U.S. health care system.

Why is US healthcare more expensive than UK?

Costs may be far higher for the same medication or procedure in the U.S. than in comparable countries. Some factors that may lead to the high U.S. healthcare costs are hospital consolidation, lack of a national healthcare system, and inadequate industry regulation.

What state in the US has the best healthcare?

Hawaii is the top state for healthcare, according to U.S. News & World Report's annual best states rankings published May 2. The overall state ranking is based on 71 metrics across eight categories, including healthcare, education and economy.

What state spends the least on healthcare?

By contrast, residents of Utah have the lowest health care expenses in the nation. Per capita health care spending in the Beehive State is $5,982.

What state in the US has the most expensive healthcare?

This list shows the average cost of health insurance in each of the 50 states, ranging from $831 a month in West Virginia, the most expensive state, to $309 a month in the cheapest state. The figures come from Value Penguin, which aggregated premium rates from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services site.