[rootusrootus]

Which country has the best health care in Europe? And what makes it the best solution?

I ask from the perspective of an American, with access to great health care but it’s expensive. If we were going to reinvent health care here, who should we copy?

[_gllen]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro_Health_Consumer_Index

[ghusto]

The Netherlands! Well okay, I don't know what it's like elsewhere, but I know it's good here :)

Here's the lowdown:

- If you can't afford it, the government pays for your insurance

- If you can, you pay for it (nearly everyone can)

- Prices are regulated by the government

- You can not be turned away, and can not be charged more than the regulated amount for your insurance, no matter what

That last one is the killer feature. You could have cancer, and the insurance company still has to take you, and for a monthly price not higher than the maximum the government's put in place.

The Netherlands had a free system like the NHS, but once the quality started going downhill, they looked at reality in the face and built a better system. The standard of healthcare here is amazing!

This isn't a popular narrative in the UK, because it shows how there are more choices than just "completely free" or "U.S.A. style dystopia", which is the argument used there to promote the idea that the NHS can work.

[dkh]

I wish there were a quick/easy answer here (we all prefer would to read those) but the truth is that it's not that simple. Even among the nations with excellent universal healthcare systems, most differ from each other in pretty significant ways. This is in part because no two countries are the same, and every detail can have a big effect on what system would work best for them. There are certainly stats-friendly ones about population, economics, and politics. But there are also equally-important ones that are cultural and harder to quantify--for instance, in some countries the people have a distrust of doctors, or a cultural aversion to visiting the doctor unless absolutely necessary, and that factors into the best design for that country, based on how it would be used.

What I can recommend is a great book that compares all the systems, through the lens of an American with the same question you have, called The Healing of America by T.R. Reid. Highly recommended.

[themitigating]

"American, with access to great health care but it’s expensive"

Price counts though right? If you can't afford healthcare in the US then for you it's the worst system

[dkh]

In my view, a big part of problem the here is how individuals view the costs/quality relative only to themselves and not to those of a different socioeconomic status.

[nvm0n1]

The Swiss system works well. It at least isn't in crisis like many of the others.