In light of similar rates of government spending, we must also consider the efficiency with which the government money is spent. Government money is defined here as public funding generated via taxation. The United Kingdom, which spends only half as much on healthcare as the United States, funds 79% of of its National Health Service through taxation. By comparison, Switzerland funds only 30.5% of healthcare expenditure with tax funds; the bulk is largely via compulsory private insurance . Switzerland spends a combined 12% of its adjusted GDP, compared to the United States 16.0% and UK 9.8%, and achieves among the highest overall outcomes . One takeaway one might consider is that private dollars achieve better outcomes than government, and that cost is relative to outcomes.
Is the United States actually spending “too much”, or is it possible that the high outcomes Switzerland achieves really do come with a higher price tag?
Health Outcomes and Obesity
