# What percentage of industrialized countries have socialized health care? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 9, 2013, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-industrialized-countries-have-socialized-health-care/670765 "2013-10-09T11:11:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-industrialized-countries-have-socialized-health-care/670765/41 "2013-10-10T22:09:08Z")
I don’t see how we will not socialize at some point a healthcare system. County and state hospitals do this now. They send out bills but seldom does anyone pay anything. A state run hospital should have no incentive to run the bill up although I doubt that will be the case. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2013, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-industrialized-countries-have-socialized-health-care/670765/42 "2013-10-10T23:36:03Z")
> [@ruadh](#): > > In Ireland, unless you earn below minimum wage, primary health care is run on pretty much a free-market basis: you pay out of pocket to see your GP, who can charge you whatever they like. My GP charges €55 per visit (currently around $75 US) and I understand she’s one of the cheaper ones. Not surprisingly, this has the effect of keeping a lot of lower-income people from seeing a doctor when they need one. > > Once you get sick enough to be hospitalised or develop one of a few specified long-term illnesses, though, _then_ you get free public health care. Yeah the time I got hit by a car I couldn’t have had better treatment. Every thing less severe has been an exorbitant nightmare to deal with. Even middle income people who have chronic issues struggle to pay for regular check ups etc. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-industrialized-countries-have-socialized-health-care/670765/43 "2013-10-11T02:58:20Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > The health care delivery is a provincial responsibility, but to get federal funding, the provinces have to comply with the principles of the Canada Health Act. That Act doesn’t forbid extra-billing, but if a province permits doctors to extra-bill, the Act provides that the feds can reduce the amount the feds will pay to that province. [The CHA has effectively ended the practice of extra-billing across Canada.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Health_Act#Violations_and_penalties) Same thing with Spain’s current system: it’s been “devolved” to the Regions, but still depends on centralized funding. Coverage isn’t required to be the same - as if it was, though. There’s one region which refuses to give non-emergency service to people who reside in the rest of the country\*, the rest either do it straight away or after you show them proof of your current active or inactive status (so, go to the healthcare center, go to social security treasury, go back to healthcare center, get a doctor assigned). - Apparently lawmakers didn’t think anybody would be so much of an asshole, and for some reason they haven’t fixed it. Trying to come up with reasons they haven’t is a favorite in coffeehouse debates. ---
**Author:** ![Doughbag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Doughbag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughbag)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-industrialized-countries-have-socialized-health-care/670765/44 "2013-10-11T11:05:18Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Yeah the time I got hit by a car I couldn’t have had better treatment. Every thing less severe has been an exorbitant nightmare to deal with. Even middle income people who have chronic issues struggle to pay for regular check ups etc. Yes, all true – the Irish healthcare system is shocking compared to most other EU countries, mostly in terms of prevention, however still affordable for the most part. After you paid the GP your treatment is basically paid for by the HSE. Private healthcare (and knowing people in the healthcare system) helps cutting down time and/or skip the cue – still a weird concept for a Plastic Paddy like myself, but it works. If you have Cancer, your chemo, radiation etc. is paid for – no need to re-mortgage the house. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-industrialized-countries-have-socialized-health-care/670765/45 "2013-10-11T15:16:12Z")
Relevant article: > [@](#): > > [http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/health/131001/global-health-care-systems-obamacare](http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/health/131001/global-health-care-systems-obamacare) > > Recently, Bloomberg ranked countries according to efficient health-care systems. Here, GlobalPost looks at the Top 5 on that list — most of which are state-funded universal health-care systems like those in Israel, Singapore and Australia — as well as a few other countries that are quite simply doing something right when it comes to health care. > > 1. FRANCE. The last time the World Health Organization ranked countries according to health care, it found that “France provides the best overall health care.” > > 2. HONG KONG. Hong Kong tops Bloomberg’s recent listing of the most efficient places for health care. > > 3. SINGAPORE > > 4. AUSTRALIA. The great strength of Australia’s system is affordability and access, according to GlobalPost’s Alan Mascarenhas. It offers cradle-to-grave health care for everyone and covers most or all of the costs for physician consultations, as well as specialists’ fees and X-rays and pathology tests. Treatment in public hospitals is free. > > 5. JAPAN. Third on Bloomberg’s list of countries with efficient health-care systems is Japan, where the Huffington Post says there is universal health care with mandatory participation funded by payroll taxes paid by both employer and employee, or income-based premiums by the self-employed. > > 6. TAIWAN. In 1995, 40 percent of Taiwanese had no health insurance. Today, nearly every one of the country’s 23 million residents is covered. > > 7. ISRAEL. Bloomberg pegged Israel at No. 4 on its list of countries with the most efficient health-care systems. > > 8. SPAIN. Spain’s single-payer health care system is ranked No. 5 on Bloomberg’s efficiency list and seventh best in the world by the World Health Organization, according to NPR. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-industrialized-countries-have-socialized-health-care/670765/46 "2013-10-11T19:07:16Z")
This may or may not be complete or up to date: > **[List of countries with universal health care](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_health_coverage_by_country)** > > Government-guaranteed health care for all citizens of a country, sometimes called universal health care, is a broad concept that has been implemented in several ways. The common denominator for all such programs is some form of government action aimed at broadly extending access to health care and setting minimum standards. Most implement universal health care through legislation, regulation, and taxation. Legislation and regulation direct what care must be provided, to whom, and on what basis.... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-industrialized-countries-have-socialized-health-care/670765.md?page=2)