Brazil
World Health Organization healthcare efficiency rating: 0.573 (125th worldwide) Brazil is the start of decline in the healthcare system for the countries we are talking about. While it covers a lot of services and has some of the most extensive coverages out of all the countries, Brazil doesn’t exactly have the resources to handle it’s healthcare system. But, we’ll get to that soon, right now, let’s look at what Brazil’s healthcare system covers: preventive services, including immunizations primary health care outpatient specialty care hospital care maternity care mental health services pharmaceuticals physical therapy dental care optometry and other vision care durable medical equipment, including wheelchairs hearing aids home care organ transplant oncology services renal dialysis blood therapy. These are all covered free of charge for citizens. This sounds great on paper and in fact, Brazil is a pioneer for pharmaceutical coverage as the first middle-income country to offer free HIV/AIDS treatment. But in that last sentence lies the problem with it’s healthcare: Brazil is a middle-income country. In truth, the country cannot afford the revolutionary healthcare system it is offering, especially since it is free of charge. But they also can’t change how it works because only 23 percent of the population can afford private healthcare. This means that 77 percent of the country relies on this free of charge health insurance that the country offers. It is an unfortunate situation to be in, but it is a noble cause they are fighting for.
China
World Health Organization healthcare efficiency rating: 0.485 (144th worldwide) China has the lowest efficiency rating out of all the countries in this article. This due to what China actually covers. Just like Australia, France, and Brazil, every citizen is able to get some form of healthcare; however, the coverage China does offer is very minimal at best. Here is what China covers: inpatient hospital care (selected provinces and cities) primary and specialist care prescription drugs mental health care physical therapy emergency care traditional Chinese medicine. There are some dental plans offered, but those are usually paid out of pocket, and immunizations are covered by a central government based healthcare. The biggest problem with China’s healthcare system is that cities and provinces choose what things they cover. So while large and rich provinces and cities can afford to cover more, the poorer provinces are hit very hard and can cover very little things. This puts low income families at a disadvantage and makes them pay out of pocket for things way more often the low income families in a big city or providence. China is one of the richest countries in the world, but because of how they formatted their healthcare system, they put their citizens in even more medical debt than they could possibly pay for.
Australia
World Health Organization healthcare efficiency rating: 0.876 (32nd worldwide) While similar to France’s system, Australia’s is actually the most similar to the U.S.’s medicare system. Everyone is eligible to medicare and can claim medicare, but can choose to use private insurance if they so choose. The benefits of having private insurance in Australia is that it will cover expenses in private and public hospitals, unlike medicare which only covers expenses spent in a public hospital. Some of the things covered under medicare are: consultation fees for doctors, including specialists; tests and examinations by doctors needed to treat illnesses, such as x-rays and pathology tests; eye tests performed by optometrists; most surgical and other therapeutic procedures performed by doctors; some surgical procedures performed by approved dentists; specific items under the Cleft Lip and Palate Scheme; specific items under the Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) program; and specific items for allied health services as part of the Chronic Disease Management Plan. However, as stated before, you must go to a public place to have these procedures covered. That issue is the main thing holding back the efficiency of the program. But the beauty of Australia’s program is that it allows for everyone to get coverage for basic necessities. Not as efficient as France’s, but still a very solid healthcare system. feature ture u november 2020 | january 2021u 2021u the viewpoint u 11
