The United States: the world's highest medical expenses The United States has the most expensive healthcare system of any country. A medical consultation with a general practitioner costs, on average, $190 or around €170. A stay in hospital can result in bills amounting to tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Best Healthcare Systems in the World in 2023
What country has the best healthcare according to this assessment? Singapore comes in at No. 1! Other countries with the best healthcare are listed below.
The costs of healthcare in Australia are covered through taxes. Residents pay 2% of their income to the Medicare Levy, which funds the public system. As a result, most patients never pay medical fees at their appointments and they can claim reimbursements if they do.
The Australian public accesses care within the public health system for free or at a lower cost through Medicare (funded by tax). The private system includes health service providers that are owned and managed privately, such as private hospitals, specialist medical and allied health, and pharmacies.
However, Brazil is the only country in the world that offers free healthcare for all its citizens. Also, Norway is the first country in the world to implement a free healthcare policy as far back as 1912. Coincidentally, Norway is recognized as one of the healthiest countries in the world.
The US, Switzerland and Norway are some of the most advanced countries when it comes to the field of medicine, with huge healthcare spending, numerous pharmaceutical companies and sophisticated academia.
Total spending on health in 2022–23 is estimated at $105.8 billion, representing 16.8% of the Australian Government's total expenditure (Budget strategy and outlook: budget paper no. 1: 2022–23, pp. 141–143). Table 1 below outlines health expenses by sub-function (nominal terms).
Sierra Leone has the dubious distinction of being the worst country in providing healthcare to its citizens, with a score of 0.00 on the WHO health systems performance index. It is an African coastal country bordered by Guinea and Liberia, and has a population of almost 6 million.
It may be the largest hospital bill ever. Estimated at $9.2 million, including interest, the bill is from Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital for the care of deceased Tameka Jaqway Campwell.
Despite the continued availability of Medicare, there is evidence that Australia's healthcare is becoming less affordable: Australians pay for about 17 per cent of total health expenditure directly through out-of-pocket expenses. This adds up to $29.8 billion, or about $1,235 per person.
Medicaid is the cheapest health insurance for those with low incomes.
Public healthcare spending stood at 6.3 per cent of GDP in Australia, and 8 per cent of GDP in the UK. Australia achieves substantially better healthcare outcomes than the UK. Cancer survival rates are several percentage points higher, while heart attack and stroke mortality rates are several percentage points lower.
Numbeo named Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, France, and Denmark as the top five countries in terms of healthcare systems. What is the number 1 hospital in the world in 2022?
More than two-thirds (73.4%) of Australians reported being satisfied with their healthcare, while only a slight majority (54.2%) of Americans said the same.
Australia ranks first among OECD countries for equity and healthcare outcomes, and holds third place for overall healthcare performance, behind Norway and the Netherlands.
OECD data shows that since 2018, Australia's annual total health spend in US dollars per capita has been under $6,000, against figures exceeding $10,000 per year in the USA. Consumer website Compare The Market cites that 73.4% of Australians are satisfied with their healthcare, compared with 54.2% of Americans.
A big factor of the Australian health care system is that it doesn't just cater to only those who are sick. Australia puts a big emphasis on disease prevention and health management so that emergency departments and public hospitals don't get overrun, believing that prevention is more cost-effective in the long term.
Absolutely. Australia is a fantastic place to live, even for foreigners. There aren't only advantages to living in Australia, but they outweigh the disadvantages. I love the climate, work-life balance, safety and the wide range of outdoor activities that I can enjoy every weekend.
1. Sydney, NSW. Taking first place in this year's healthiest city rankings is Sydney, coming number one in the majority of the different categories. They also place the highest priority on their wellness compared to the rest of Australia, with 70% of Sydneysiders stated that wellness is a high priority for them.