The Grass Is Not Always Greener A Look at National Health Care Systems Around the World by Michael Tanner

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Critics of the U.S. health care system frequently
point to other countries as models for
reform. They point out that many countries
spend far less on health care than the United
States yet seem to enjoy better health outcomes.
The United States should follow the lead of
those countries, the critics say, and adopt a government-
run, national health care system.
However, a closer look shows that nearly all
health care systems worldwide are wrestling with
problems of rising costs and lack of access to care.
There is no single international model for national
health care, of course. Countries vary dramatically
in the degree of central control, regulation,
and cost sharing they impose, and in the role of
private insurance. Still, overall trends from national
health care systems around the world suggest
the following: