Let's say you get a bit sick nothing specific not anything timely let's just say you have a fever a dry cough and have to stay quarantine for 14-inch days do you ? know how much your bills would be going through such an experience well the answer varies widely from country to country and some places have healthcare and medical bills that are much much more expensive than others today we're going to take a deep look at which countries pay the most in medical bills and why exactly that is.....
Number five Germany
Can you smell the rolling green meadows bratwurst and beer well that's Germany coming in hot at number five on my list Germany is one of the 18 countries in the world with universal health care citizens and lawful residents pay fourteen point six percent of their gross wages to fund that universal health care which provides health care for all residents regardless of income individuals who own more than seventy one thousand five hundred and sixty four dollars per year can opt to purchase private coverage however seventy-five percent of people choose to continue using the public health care instead so how much does all this cost them well on average four thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine dollars per capita about nine point six percent of the GDP is spent on public health.
Number four Switzerland
Switzerland is a country that is known for its high cost of living so it comes as almost no surprise that they would be paying a pretty hefty amount of medical fees per year much like Germany Switzerland has universal health care citizens are required to purchase basic health care insurance which is regulated across the board and covers 90 percent of treatment costs health care insurance providers aren't allowed to profit off of their usual health care coverage package but they are allowed to offer additional packages about five thousand and thirty dollars per capita go towards public health and seven point seven percent of the GDP is spent on public health in Switzerland an MRI will cost approximately five and $3 compared to $1,300 in the United States.
Number three Norway
Norway I've taken many visits to this wonderful country to enjoy their beautiful fields and glaciers fortunately for me I never had to take a trip to the hospital there once more we have a country with universal health care through taxes Norway funds their health care however residents must meet a deductible of 245 dollars before they receive an exemption card entitling them to free health services for the remainder of the year there are certain procedures that cost an extra fee for Norwegians but all emergency care and child related care comes with no additional cost the costs of Public Health is about five thousand three hundred and ninety nine dollars per capita additionally Norway has one of the highest rates of doctors in the world with 4.7 specialists for every 1,000 people.
Number two Luxembourg
On any most expensive list it only seems fitting to have the world's second richest country Luxembourg Luxembourg has a health care system that is funded primarily by the income taxes of its citizens these covered treatments from specialists hospitalizations and medications citizens may pay part of their cost upfront but they are later reimbursed for the cost of any procedures on average public health in Luxembourg costs five thousand five hundred and six dollars per capita.
Number One the United States
if you've ever stepped foot in a doctor's office or a hospital in the United States of American you may have seen this coming the u.s. is known for having the highest cost of medication and medical gas in the world at a staggering nine thousand four hundred and thirty dollars per capita. if you're unaware the u.s. is the only country on this list without a universal health care and there are a few different layers to the health care system in the United States. there is employee provided insurance which goes through a private insurance ompany individual health insurance which does the same public health insurance called Medicare and Medicaid. which is available to the elderly and low-income individuals. People are required to pay for private health insurance or they will be feed in California for example the fee for 2020 is around six hundred and ninety five dollars per individual compared to the other countries on this list everything costs more in the United States and doctors are paid much more in 2016 general physicians will paid about two hundred and eighteen thousand one hundred and seventy three dollars on average in the United States, compared to eighty six thousand six hundred and seven dollars in Sweden and one hundred and fifty four thousand one hundred and twenty six dollars in Germany, the cost of procedures is also much higher than other countries a coronary artery bypass otherwise known as really expensive heart surgery costs about seventy five thousand three hundred and forty five dollars in the United States that same surgery with the same equipment and same qualified doctors costs about fifteen thousand seven hundred and forty two dollars in the Netherlands and thirty six thousand five hundred and nine dollars in Switzerland in other words you could get the surgery in Switzerland, buy a ticket to fly to the Netherlands give the same surgery there and recover in a fancy hotel and it's still wouldn't cost 3/4 the amount of that surgery in the United States so why is that exactly well there isn't just one reason the complex nature of the American healthcare system, requires much more administrative work than most other countries which in part raises costs eight percent of the national healthcare costs in the United States. Go to administrative tasks compared to a low one to three percent in the majority of similar countries the other big reason is tied to pharmaceuticals most countries have a system and limits in place for how much medication can cost pharmaceutical companies aren't allowed to drastically increase their price once they are on the market the government in most countries negotiates with drug companies insuring that price gouging cannot take place on vital medications in the United States. However no system or negotiations are in place which is why the average medication cost per person is about fourteen hundred and forty-three dollars per year compared to seven hundred and forty nine dollars per person which is the world's average Humira is an injectable drug used to treat conditions like arthritis and cost about twenty seven hundred dollars in the United States that same exact medication in Switzerland will cost you around eight hundred and twenty-two dollars the United States is one of the few countries that allows for drug companies to set their own prices which has led to quite a bit of drama in the past specifically with a drug called daraprim, Daraprim has been around for six decades but it was acquired in the mid 2000s by turing pharmaceuticals a company owned by a man named martin shkreli upon acquiring the medication shkreli rose the cost of a single pill from $13.50 to $750 per pill and although it was sleazy, it was perfectly legal to do that all being said the United States has the highest medical bills of any country by far what do you think? of these comparisons what do you think of the costs of pharmaceuticals or big pharma? as the kids say let me know in the comments down below thanks for reading if you enjoyed the blog make sure to leave your comments.
Regards
Tahir Ahmad Dawood
