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What Countries Have Universal Health Care?
A few nights ago, I watched Michael Moore's new documentary, SiCKO, which focuses its crosshair on the health care industry in the United States. At one point in the movie, Mr. Moore claims that the United States is the only "westernized" country without universal health care. Is that true?First, what does he mean by "westernized"? Defining the "western world" can be subjective, and definitions will vary depending on what criteria is used. Are you defining it from a cultural standpoint? Political? Economical? Perhaps this is why Mr. Moore felt comfortable making such a broad generalization. Is it even possible to truly define what the "western world" really is?
Okay, forget the western world. (I think I know what he meant anyway.) What countries on our good green Earth provide some sort of universal health care for their citizens? Here they are:
Countries in blue have some type of universal health care. Countries in green are currently attempting to implement some type of universal health care. Orange countries have universal health coverage provided by United States war funding. Source. Click to enlarge.
Afghanistan*, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Cuba, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iraq*, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Ukraine and the United Kingdom
*Universal health coverage provided by United States war funding
There you go. Keep in mind: this is a simple list of countries that have some sort of publicly sponsored health care system. For instance, Sri Lanka may be far from having a true, working universal health care system like France, but prescription drugs are provided by a government-owned drug manufacturer. This qualifies as "some sort of publicly sponsored, universal health care system."
Filed under: Arts and Culture, Learning, Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America
Reader Comments (Page 5 of 11)
cynthia Apr 30th 2009 7:35PM
just curious, where do you get the idea that medicare recipients have no privacy regarding their medical records? the hippa laws that became effective as of april 2003 cover all patients, including medicare patients.. medical records are private, and would continue to be in a universal care system. all insurance companies are given some medical information for billing purposes. it is required as well for precertification purposes with ppo, hmo, and epo plans as well as most other health plans that medical documentation (medical records) is provided before the plan will allow many procedures to be performed. blue cross and blue shield for instance, require precert for diagnostic studies, and routinely receive medical records before they will approve mris, cat scans, etc. i work in the medical field, and have for over 15 years.
Tawana Apr 5th 2009 9:58AM
As a United States citizen I can only dream of that we will have universal health care. Here the public hospitals in my opinion worst then the private ones. I dont understand why the united states doesnt care enough about its people when it comes to this very topic. On the other hand many people come here for health care services that I guess is not provided in their own country. Who knows what to think. Currently I have some very good doctors and provide me excellent care, and I would not want to jeopardize this. Can it be better with universal coverage I dont know, I can only hope so.
DQ Apr 9th 2009 5:54PM
You guys are dreaming that private hospitals are better. Ever wait in a private hospital ER for 4 hours? This is in Boston too, the land of excellent quality hospital care.
The only difference between Health care is one is paid for on multiple levels and is inefficient, the other is tax collected and more efficient.
Meg Apr 20th 2009 2:43PM
""Currently, many Americans
choose to pay privately for health services to maintain their medical
privacy."" What do you mean "choose". There is no other option. If I had a choice I would pay more in taxes if it meant I didn't have to have 160/month taken out of my check and then pay an extra 20% of all medical costs.
cynthia Apr 30th 2009 7:42PM
i work in the medical field. universal healthcare is needed. americans pay billions of dollars in taxes, and several foreign countries have universal healthcare funded by the united states 'war funding'. medicare is an example. medicare patients can see any doctor they want (more than 85% of doctors and hospitals are medicare providers) and don't have to wait any longer that private insured patients do. i see people paying over a thousand dollars a month in premiums and still can't afford to go to the doctor because of deductibles and copays. and if you have a preexisting condition, forget it. your insurance benefits can max out, your premiums can go way up, and they can drop you altogether. to say that doctors wouldn't have an incentive to provide quality care under a universal system is ridiculous. i would hope that most people, like myself, would go into the medical field because they enjoy caring for people. it not, then they don't belong in that field anyway. i haven't heard anyone from the netherland, uk, denmark, etc complaining about lack of care. this would be to everyone's benefit to have all americans provided healthcare, but some seem to think that it's a luxury. the rich and the very poor, who qualify for medicaid are not the one's not getting care. it's the middle class working taxpaying americans that can lose their homes and life savings if they get sick. it appalls me that there are those in this country that look down upon their fellow citizens if they get sick and cannot afford to get care. the big insurance companies, blue shield, blue cross, cigna etc and many others are making billions off of the american public and they don't want to lose that. they can afford to use scare tactics and lies to prevent support for universal coverage. we are paying billions in taxes in this country, why would some americans rather have our tax money spent to fund wars and rebuild other countries, and bail out large corporations who outsource jobs overseas than use that money to spend on universal healthcare in our own country?
Bitten Mar 25th 2010 5:43PM
Between my employer and me, we pay over $1,000 in health care premiums to insure myself and my husband. We are well over sixty years old, but can in no way afford to retire and pay that kind of money every month. I guess we'll work until we drop.
On the other hand, all my (same age) friends and family back in the "old country"(Denmark) have long since retired and have been and contirue to be well cared for through UHC. I wish Americans who are against UHC would truly research healthcare in the rest of the World instead of just mouthing off some lies they have been told by other ignorant people.
Daisy May 2nd 2009 8:56AM
Everyone cracks me up with the worry of paying for more taxes if we got universal health care. It half a dozen or another. So the health care premium isn't coming out of your pay check each week your paying for it in your taxes. After you are all done paying your bills, etc. If you have any extra money what do we do with it anyway. Buy bigger homes, bigger vehicles, more and more stuff. We will spend thousands of dollars on material things but don't want to pay for our health.
I have a friend that lives in Scotland. She burned herself. 3 degree burns. Was in the hospital for 10 days, had surgery, received medications. Yes she paid for everything with her taxes but guess what it is already paid for and she didn't have to worry while she was in the hospital about whether her insurance will pay, she didn't have to hassle with an insurance company about whether the doctor or hospital was in the network. Don't you get it. She only had to worry about whether she would heal okay. Not have to deal with insurance companies or doctors that didn't care etc etc.
Of course you will pay for it somehow but look at it this way it is paid without the hassle of insurance companies getting the better of us.
Eric May 11th 2009 12:59AM
I also saw the movie "Sicko". Can you take your poll for free health care nationwide? We need to show the president, congress and the senate all the votes for free health care! Maybe have people put their city or state so their represenative can see it. Say something like they will not vote for them if they dont work for free health care...totally free.
We need a movement asap!
Carlos May 12th 2009 5:01PM
Bottom line is that partially the reason so many countries have universal health care is that the government is afraid of the people, and that's the way it should be here. If we are for the people and by the people, then why don't we get what we deserve? Why are we letting the richest percent go and do what they want and to say screw the poorest?
One of these days people will get so sick of being treated like crap and will say "enough", and bring true democracy back.
Ernesto May 25th 2009 8:04AM
The proof that the socialized medicine works is that most of the countries with soc medicine have at least as good health indicators as USA, in many of then those indicators are better ,i don't know why people don't realize that
Ernesto May 25th 2009 8:03AM
Kaci does not realize that there is a lot of "doctors" and "hospitals" stealing from medicare and medicaid.
Controls will have to be better in Universal Health Care I wonder how other countries do ,but for sure is not like we do now with Gov health
Ernesto May 25th 2009 8:02AM
Some body writting in this forum against the universal health care must be rich enough to pay the Insurances or may be someone is paying for him ;and doesn't have the brain and heart to think for the large amount of people that can not afford to pay
Actongue May 25th 2009 11:55PM
Now this is one of the best Reasons I have ever seen to have a better health care system in this country
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=11012&post=79235&uid=25603894700#post79235
"posted it on Part of our Economic crisis is Because of our Health Care system
Big companies have to pay Billions of Dollars a year to provide Health care for their employees Small companies pay tens of thousands and upwards to provide health care for employess (the ones that do that is)
This results in lower quality Products and increased cost of products.
Look at wine Wine in this country that is made in the US is way more expensive then say oh French Wine ......of course there are exceptions.
Cars in this country have been behind for years Having to have the company pay for health care is part of the reason why.
That is Why for years people went to places like Germany and France to buy European cars because they are Cheaper( even after paying for your Trip over there paying for the Car, paying for Shipping, paying for Taxes and licensing...........You still had enough money to have a Vacation over there and the cars are Better over there then we can buy here for the same make and the same model."
America ranks last or near last in inustrialized Nations for Life Expectency
Americans Drink less then people in other Countries do
Americans Smoke less then other countries do
Americans though die sooner so what he heck is wrong with American Health care
http://www.healthpaconline.net/rekindling/Articles/Glasser.htm
It is the fact that we are behind the times in how we look at healthcare and our System
christopher MacKinnon Jun 3rd 2009 3:20PM
I wanted to comment on the taxes that you have to pay for your entire life to receive universal healthcare. Even if you took 35% of my pay to pay for universal healthcare and all the other charities, programs, and other little tid bit things the government pays for it would still save me money if I ever had any kind of cancer. Let's see I make 4000 a month, that would be 1400 a month or 16,800 a year. If I live to the age of 60 and assuming that I didnt start working until the age of 18 the amount of taxes that I would have paid would be 873,600 dollars. Has anyone ever had a loved one in Hospice or had to stay in the hospital for an extended time? I have, and for two months in hospice care it cost my family 25,000 dollars. Imagine if that was 6 or seven family members over my lifetime that had cancer, diabete, bypass surgery, or AIDS. I would gladly pay that 873,600 dollars to take care of all those family members but the sad truth is that it would cost 10 times that. So univeral healthcare is a plus in my book. It's not always about the money, sometimes it's about the piece of mind that would come along with universal healthcare. God forbid I lose my job and healthcare coverage. I think I would rather die than pay an HMO more money for and still not be taken care of because my illness isnt covered or they say it was a "pre-existing" condition.
I've know guys in the military that were kicked out because they were diagnosed with PTSD and were told that it was a pre-existing condition. I've always asked myself that if this man was able to serve his country for 5 or 6 years and the doctor coldheartedly says that it was a pre-existing condition. Then how did he get into the military in t he first place? Same thing with the healthcare. If it was a pre-existing condition then why didnt the HMO find it in the first place? They should of had a doctor screen the person first?
Once I retire, if I dont get sick and have to spend all my money on healthcare, I am going to move to france, germany or england so I have piece of mind that when I am sick I wont have to spend my life savings or sell my house to pay for some doctor to live lavishly.
Ron Jun 7th 2009 6:43PM
I think as Americans that we profess to be a compassionate people. When we are so callous that we can't even look out for our own, we have become the bottom of the barrel. If you are a millionaire great maybe you can pay for yourself and your family. If you are a working guy things are different. I will give you my example: In 1985 I was paid $24 ph in my trade as a journeyman. I had health insurance that was paid for by the employer. It cost them about $200 a month. In 2008 I was paid $24 ph and I paid $730 per month for insurance. Do you see a problem?
Because of the cost of health insurance and other things, I lost my job of 16 years. I still get health insurance on COBRA because the government picks up part of the cost. I still have to pay $265 a month and that is paid out of my unemployment. IF my wife or I get sick enough to have to stay in a hospital how will I pay for deductables and my percentage of the cost. I am a Vietnam Veteran, I have been a tradesman for 36 years and could loose everything in the event of a hospital stay.
You can judge a country and its people by the way they treat the young, old and the ones that can't help themselves. Yep we can probably kick the asses of any other country on the planet with bullets and bombs, but how will we take care of the marines, soldiers and sailors that are injured? You all think that Veterans are taken care of don't you. Well think again. Talk about a wait for service.
I is a crime against the citizens of the United States of America that any CEO would make a billion dollars by promoting the denial of care and WE support it? Come on people. The bottom line is this: if we can't look out for one another then we will get what we deserve.
Arturo Jun 20th 2009 11:47PM
It would seem that people posting against the universal health care system, didn't really know about it, didn't want to know, and probably, are in the payroll of some insurance, or are just rich and think they may lost that "cutting edge" on the medical services just to save some low on money kind of people. Well, however is it true that for things that are not serious we have to wait, we don't if we want to pay a private clinic. So all the options are still open. I just have choosed to wait for a surgery I want, not for the money (at least here), but for confidence, the best are in the public health, the same best that also work for that expensive clinics for rich (no waits there). I explain this to show how we think of our health system in Spain. More affordable private clinics, meant bigger, solo confortable rooms, with a lot of personal attention, but, most surely, a peruvian surgeon (with all due respect).
Robin Jul 5th 2009 9:28AM
Seven and an half months after Bush's term began, Sept. 11th happened, and it was blamed on the Clinton white house. One month after Obama's term began everything is his fault, the economy, the bail outs, stock market. As an educated person in both history and economics, there are highs and lows, and both take years to get there, not a month. Far right people need to shut up and be educated on the facts, believe it or not your not always right. (rarely actually)
Why not have a national health plan?
We have medicaid where people go to the emergency rooms for a headache, TAX PAYERS are paying for it, recipients pay NOTHING, medicare I have a Father in-law who's 2008 medical bill honestly exceed $100,000, what his co-pay is I do not know, but I do know his income was $38,000 for 2008. If you don't have insurance you go to the hospital and can not pay, the bill goes to the government and TAX PAYERS PAY.
The way I see it if health insurance companies are making BILLIONS in profit year after year billing our tax dollars. Why not cut the middle man a bit.
I suggest a national sales tax on all purchases, excluding homes. To include boats and cars but at a much lower rate. How much of a tax I simply do not know.
In 2007 the average health insurance premium was $12,700 per year for a family of four, with an average income of $50,000, simple math 25% of the income went toward the premium, now to use the insurance, you have deductibles and co-pays.
With a sales tax EVERYBODY PAYS, no free ride.
Lisa Jul 12th 2009 5:18PM
Hello, we pay just as many taxes as other countries, but no universal healthcare. Think about it, we pay sales taxes, land taxes, school taxes. Look at your phone bill and cable bill. What more can I say. The people that don,t want a universal health plan are either rich or have a plan through their job. How would they like to pay $1,000 a month like I have to. There is something wrong with this picture. Its called greed.
Adam Jul 26th 2009 10:12PM
LISA, shut the f**k up ... Yeah it might cost you a lot but at least you have QUALITY health care .. socialized health care is a load of bullshit straight from the sewer...
Michelle Jul 28th 2009 1:46AM
Oh Adam the problem is your frightened, scared shitless that your country is not what you thought was. Don’t be scared take your anger and do something positive with it (it is not positive to try to stamp out are freedom of speech) Its time to grow up – Are country is a country based on ideals those ideals have never fully been achieved buy what makes our country great is that we are free to try to reach those ideals. It is not easy nothing of worth is easy but we all must make a stand for what is right. Do the right thing, restore what little honor you have left and apologize to Lisa.