Universal Health Care around the World
This map shows Universal health care around the world. Universal health care is a national health insurance program in many countries that is mostly financed by taxes and administered by the government to provide comprehensive health care that is accessible to all citizens of that nation.
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| Country name | Universal health care system | Start year of universal health care | Note |
| Afghanistan | NA | ||
| Åland Islands | NA | ||
| Albania | No | The health care system is heavily dependent on humanitarian aid and money sent home by emigrants, and the ongoing brain drain is depleting the country of its most valuable human resources. Yet despite the difficulties, the basic infrastructure for health care delivery is being maintained and rationalized. The success or failure of the reforms will depend on the country's continued stability and its economic recovery. | |
| Algeria | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| American Samoa | NA | ||
| Andorra | Public universal health care through other means | 1966 | The Andorran health care system is based on a social insurance model. Citizens' health care rights are recognized by the constitution. Health care services are provided and financed by both private and public sectors. About 92% of the population is covered by the CASS (la Caixa Andorrana de Seguretat Social -the Andorran Office of the Social Security). |
| Angola | NA | ||
| Anguilla | NA | ||
| Antarctica | NA | ||
| Antigua and Barbuda | NA | ||
| Argentina | Public universal health care through other means | Health care is provided through a combination of employer and labor union-sponsored plans (Obras Sociales), government insurance plans, public hospitals and clinics and through private health insurance plans. | |
| Armenia | No | ||
| Aruba | NA | ||
| Australia | Two Tier | 1975 | Australia is committed to public financing and substantial public delivery in health care. The health system offers universal access to health care, regardless of ability to pay, through the government administers the compulsory national health insurance program, Medicare, which is financed through general taxation and a health tax levy. This provides the entire population with subsidized access to the doctor of their choice for out-of-hospital care, free public hospital care and subsidized pharmaceuticals. Government provides a baseline of care, and in which a significant percentage of individuals purchase additional health insurance or premium direct health care. |
| Austria | Public universal health care through other means | 1978 | The Austrian health care system is characterized by the federalist structure of the country, the delegation of competencies to stakeholders in the social insurance system as well as by crossstakeholder structures at federal and Länder levels which possess competencies in cooperative planning, coordination and financing. There has traditionally been regulated competition between service providers for patients and contracts with the social insurance institutions, but not between the health insurance funds themselves. The sectors of the health care system have customarily been characterized by different stakeholders and regulation and financing mechanisms. However, in recent years there have been increased efforts to introduce decision-making and financing flows which are effective across all sectors. |
| Azerbaijan | Public universal health care through other means | 1991 | The current structure of the health care system was one of the least effective in the Soviet republics, and it deteriorated further after independence. As a result, the country experienced outbreaks of diseases that had once been controlled, and others, such as tuberculosis, began to increase; the health system faced near complete collapse. |
| Bahamas, The | NA | ||
| Bahrain | Single-payer | 1957 | |
| Bangladesh | NA | ||
| Barbados | NA | ||
| Belarus | Public universal health care through other means | 1991 | Belarus has managed to maintain a health care delivery system that provides a comprehensive package of care to the entire population, which is generally free at the point of delivery. |
| Belgium | Public universal health care through other means | 1945 | The Belgian health system is based on the principles of equal access and freedom of choice, with a Bismarckian-type of compulsory national health insurance, which covers the whole population and has a very broad benefits package. |
| Belize | NA | ||
| Benin | NA | ||
| Bermuda | NA | ||
| Bhutan | Single-payer | The Royal Government of Bhutan maintains a policy of free and universal access to primary health care. As hospital facilities in the country are limited, patients with diseases that cannot be treated in Bhutan, such as cancer, are normally referred to hospitals in India for treatment. Such referral treatment is also carried out at the cost of the Royal Government. | |
| Bolivia | NA | ||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Botswana | NA | ||
| Bouvet Island | NA | ||
| Brazil | Public universal health care through other means | The universal health care system was adopted in Brazil in 1988 after the end of the military regime's rule. However, free health care was available many years before, in some cities, once the #27 amend to the 1969 Constitution impose to the municipalties the duty of applying 6% of their income in healthcare. | |
| British Indian Ocean Territory | NA | ||
| British Virgin Islands | NA | ||
| Brunei | Single-payer | 1958 | The people of Brunei Darussalam enjoy free medical and health care provided via government hospitals, health centres and health clinics. |
| Bulgaria | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Burkina Faso | NA | ||
| Burma | NA | ||
| Burundi | NA | ||
| Cambodia | NA | ||
| Cameroon | NA | ||
| Canada | Single-payer | 1966 | In Canada, national health insurance (Medicare) is a public program administered by the provinces and overseen by the federal government. Medicare is funded by income taxes and sales tax revenues. All Canadian citizens have health care. |
| Cape Verde | NA | ||
| Cayman Islands | NA | ||
| Central African Republic | NA | ||
| Chad | NA | ||
| Chile | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| China | Public universal health care through other means | The New Rural Co-operative Medical Care System (NRCMCS) is a 2005 initiative to overhaul the healthcare system, particularly intended to make it more affordable for the rural poor. While health insurance coverage is increasing, especially in rural areas, many people are underinsured and continue to face high out-of-pocket costs. While the health insurance schemes, particularly in rural areas, report high coverage, benefits are often limited to catastrophic illness; inpatient medical services frequently require pre-payment and reimbursement can be as low as 20%-30% of the total bill. | |
| Christmas Island | NA | ||
| Cocos (Keeling) Islands | NA | ||
| Colombia | NA | ||
| Comoros | NA | ||
| Congo, Democratic Republic of the | NA | ||
| Congo, Republic of the | NA | ||
| Cook Islands | NA | ||
| Costa Rica | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Côte d'Ivoire | NA | ||
| Croatia | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Cuba | Single-payer | 1959 | Cuba has a national health service. Services are available without charge to everyone. They are provided by salaried personnel in facilities run by the government. |
| Cyprus | Single-payer | 1980 | |
| Czech Republic | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Denmark | Public universal health care through other means | 1973 | Denmark has a universal public health system paid largely from taxation with local municipalities delivering health care services in the same way as other Scandinavian countries. |
| Djibouti | NA | ||
| Dominica | NA | ||
| Dominican Republic | NA | ||
| Ecuador | NA | ||
| Egypt | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| El Salvador | NA | ||
| Equatorial Guinea | NA | ||
| Eritrea | NA | ||
| Estonia | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Ethiopia | NA | ||
| Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) | NA | ||
| Faroe Islands | NA | ||
| Fiji | NA | ||
| Finland | Single-payer | 1972 | In Finland,Perceived imbalances between primary and specialized health care led to the Primary Health Care Act 1972, which introduced a network of primary health care centres, publicly owned and staffed, in charge of delivering integrated preventive and curative services. |
| France | Public universal health care through other means | 1974 | The health care system is regulated by two main players: the state – the National Assembly, the government and ministries – and the statutory health insurance funds. To a lesser extent, local communities play a role in regulating the system. The Juppé reform of 1996 clarified the roles of the state and insurance funds and reinforced the role of the regions. |
| French Guiana | NA | ||
| French Polynesia | NA | ||
| French Southern and Antarctic Lands | NA | ||
| Gabon | NA | ||
| Gambia, The | NA | ||
| Georgia | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Germany | Public universal health care through other means | 1941 | Germany uses a social insurance model. All citizens must have health insurance, which they purchase from one of more than 200 private, nonprofit sickness funds. |
| Ghana | Public universal health care through other means | In Ghana, most health care is provided by the government, but hospitals and clinics run by religious groups also play an important role. Some for-profit clinics exist, but they provide less than 2% of health services. | |
| Gibraltar | NA | ||
| Greece | Public universal health care through other means | 1983 | |
| Greenland | NA | ||
| Grenada | NA | ||
| Guadeloupe | NA | ||
| Guam | NA | ||
| Guatemala | NA | ||
| Guernsey | NA | ||
| Guinea | NA | ||
| Guinea-Bissau | NA | ||
| Guyana | NA | ||
| Haiti | NA | ||
| Heard Island and McDonald Islands | NA | ||
| Holy See (Vatican City) | NA | ||
| Honduras | NA | ||
| Hong Kong | Public universal health care through other means | 1993 | |
| Hungary | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Iceland | Single-payer | 1990 | |
| India | Public universal health care through other means | India has a universal health care system run by the local (state or territorial), governments. The government hospitals, some of which are among the best hospitals in India, provide treatment at taxpayer expense. Most essential drugs are offered free of charge in these hospitals. | |
| Indonesia | NA | ||
| Iran | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Iraq | NA | ||
| Ireland | Public universal health care through other means | 1977 | |
| Isle of Man | NA | ||
| Israel | Public universal health care through other means | 1995 | In Israel, the National Health Insurance Law (or National Health Insurance Act) is the legal framework which enables and facilitates basic, compulsory universal health care. |
| Italy | Single-payer | 1978 | Italy has a public health care service for all the residents called "Servizio Sanitario Nazionale" or the National Health Service (NHS). It is publicly run and funded mostly from taxation: some services requires small co-pays, while other services are completely free of charge. |
| Jamaica | NA | ||
| Japan | Single-payer | 1938 | Japan uses a "social insurance" system in which all citizens are required to have health insurance, either through their work or purchased from a nonprofit, community-based plan. Those who can't afford the premiums receive public assistance. Most health insurance is private; doctors and almost all hospitals are in the private sector. |
| Jersey | NA | ||
| Jordan | NA | ||
| Kazakhstan | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Kenya | NA | ||
| Kiribati | NA | ||
| Korea, North | Public universal health care through other means | North Korea has a national medical service and health insurance system. | |
| Korea, South | Public universal health care through other means | 1988 | |
| Kuwait | Single-payer | 1950 | |
| Kyrgyzstan | NA | ||
| Laos | NA | ||
| Latvia | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Lebanon | NA | ||
| Lesotho | NA | ||
| Liberia | NA | ||
| Libya | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Liechtenstein | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Lithuania | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Luxembourg | Public universal health care through other means | 1973 | |
| Macau | Single-payer | ||
| Macedonia [FYROM] | NA | ||
| Madagascar | NA | ||
| Malawi | NA | ||
| Malaysia | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Maldives | NA | ||
| Mali | NA | ||
| Malta | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Marshall Islands | NA | ||
| Martinique | NA | ||
| Mauritania | NA | ||
| Mauritius | NA | ||
| Mayotte | NA | ||
| Mexico | Public universal health care through other means | Public health care delivery is accomplished via an elaborate provisioning and delivery system instituted by the Mexican Federal Government. | |
| Micronesia, Federated States of | NA | ||
| Moldova | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Monaco | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Mongolia | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Montenegro | NA | ||
| Montserrat | NA | ||
| Morocco | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Mozambique | NA | ||
| Namibia | NA | ||
| Nauru | NA | ||
| Nepal | NA | ||
| Netherlands | Public universal health care through other means | 1966 | |
| Netherlands Antilles | NA | ||
| New Caledonia | NA | ||
| New Zealand | Two Tier | 1938 | Primary health care is provided by primary health organizations, which contract with District Health Boards for the bulk of their funding. New Zealand's healthcare system is funded through general taxation. |
| Nicaragua | NA | ||
| Niger | NA | ||
| Nigeria | NA | ||
| Niue | NA | ||
| Norfolk Island | NA | ||
| Northern Mariana Islands | NA | ||
| Norway | Single-payer | 1912 | The National Insurance Act guaranteed citizens universal access to all forms of medical care. Norway's health system is funded by progressive income tax, and from block grants from central government. Patients are free to choose their own physician and hospital, however, registration with local GP's who act as gatekeeper, will begin in 2001. |
| Oman | NA | ||
| Pakistan | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Palau | NA | ||
| Panama | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Papua New Guinea | NA | ||
| Paraguay | NA | ||
| Peru | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Philippines | NA | ||
| Pitcairn Islands | NA | ||
| Poland | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Portugal | Single-payer | 1979 | |
| Puerto Rico | NA | ||
| Qatar | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Réunion | NA | ||
| Romania | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Russia | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Rwanda | NA | ||
| Saint Barthélemy | NA | ||
| Saint Helena | NA | ||
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | NA | ||
| Saint Lucia | NA | ||
| Saint Martin | NA | ||
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon | NA | ||
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | NA | ||
| Samoa | NA | ||
| San Marino | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Sao Tome and Principe | NA | ||
| Saudi Arabia | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Senegal | NA | ||
| Serbia | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Seychelles | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Sierra Leone | NA | ||
| Singapore | Single-payer | 1993 | Singapore has a universal health care system where government ensures affordability, largely through compulsory savings and price controls, while the private sector provides most care. |
| Slovakia | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Slovenia | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Solomon Islands | NA | ||
| Somalia | NA | ||
| South Africa | Public universal health care through other means | South Africa's health system consists of a large, under-resourced public sector (serving 80 percent of population) and a small private sector for high income earners (20 percent of the population). Primary health care is free to everyone but highly specialized services are available in the private sector to those who can afford it. | |
| South Georgia and the Islands | NA | ||
| Spain | Single-payer | 1986 | The Spanish health care system is funded by payroll taxes through the National Institute of Health program (INSALUD) |
| Sri Lanka | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Sudan | NA | ||
| Suriname | NA | ||
| Svalbard | Single-payer | ||
| Swaziland | NA | ||
| Sweden | Single-payer | 1955 | The Swedish health care system is financed by both incomes tax and patient fees. County councils own and operate hospitals, employ physicians and run the majority of general practices and outpatient facilities. Other physicians work in private practice and are paid by the counties on a fee-for-service basis. Tuition for medical and nursing education is free. |
| Switzerland | Public universal health care through other means | 1994 | In Switzerland, compulsory health insurance covers the costs of medical treatment and hospitalization of the insured. The Swiss healthcare system is a combination of public, subsidized private and totally private healthcare providers, where the insured person has full freedom of choice among the providers in his region. Insurers are required to offer this basic insurance to everyone, regardless of age or medical condition. They may not make a profit off this basic insurance, but can on supplemental plans. |
| Syria | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Taiwan | Single-payer | The current health care system in Taiwan, known as National Health Insurance (NHI), was instituted in 1995. NHI is a single-payer compulsory social insurance plan which centralizes the disbursement of health care dollars. NHI is mainly financed through premiums, which are based on the payroll tax, and is supplemented with out-of-pocket payments and direct government funding. In the initial stage, fee-for-service predominated for both public and private providers. | |
| Tajikistan | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Tanzania | NA | ||
| Thailand | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Timor-Leste | NA | ||
| Togo | NA | ||
| Tokelau | NA | ||
| Tonga | NA | ||
| Trinidad and Tobago | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Tunisia | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Turkey | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Turkmenistan | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Turks and Caicos Islands | NA | ||
| Tuvalu | NA | ||
| Uganda | NA | ||
| Ukraine | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| United Arab Emirates | Single-payer | 1971 | |
| United Kingdom | Single-payer | 1948 | United Kingdom has a National Health Service that provides public healthcare to all UK permanent residents that is free at the point of need and paid for from general taxation. |
| United States | in transition | 2014 | 2010 legislation has laid the ground for one to be fully functioning by 2014. |
| United States Minor Outlying Islands | NA | ||
| Uruguay | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Uzbekistan | NA | ||
| Vanuatu | NA | ||
| Venezuela | Public universal health care through other means | ||
| Vietnam | NA | ||
| Virgin Islands | NA | ||
| Wallis and Futuna | NA | ||
| West Bank | NA | ||
| Western Sahara | NA | ||
| Yemen | NA | ||
| Zambia | NA | ||
| Zimbabwe | NA | ||
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ChartsBin statistics collector team 2010, Universal Health Care around the World, ChartsBin, viewed 3rd September, 2010, <http://chartsbin.com/view/z1a>.
Source
- WHO 2008, The world health report 2008 : primary health care now more than ever, ISBN 978 92 4 156373 4, World Health Organization, Geneva 27, Switzerland, viewed 10th April, 2010, <http://www.who.int/whr/2008/en/index.html>.
- WPRO 2010, Country health information profiles (CHIPS), Health system, World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific, Philippines, viewed 10th April, 2010, <http://www.wpro.who.int/countries/countries.htm>.
- SEARO 2007, Regional Health Situation, Health System, WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia, New Delhi 110 002, India, viewed 10th April, 2010, <http://www.searo.who.int/EN/Section313.htm>.
- Wikipedia 2010, Universal health care, 2010, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., Online, viewed 10th April, 2010, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_healthcare>.
- WGBH educational foundation 2008, FRONTLINE: sick around the world: five capitalist democracies & how they do it, 2008, WGBH educational foundation, Online, viewed 10th April, 2010, <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/countries/>.
- The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies 2010, Health Systems in Transition (HiT) profiles and HiT summaries, 2008, The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Brussels, Belgium, viewed 10th April, 2010, <http://www.euro.who.int/observatory/ctryinfo/ctryinfo>.
- PNHP 2010, International Health Systems, , Physicians for a National Health Program, Chicago, IL, viewed 10th April, 2010, <http://www.pnhp.org/facts/international_health_systems.php?page=all>.
- Praveen Ghanta 2010, List of Countries with Universal Healthcare, 2010, True Cost, Online, viewed 10th April, 2010, <http://truecostblog.com/2009/08/09/countries-with-universal-healthcare-by-date/>.
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