Healthcare Wanderlust: Switzerland

by Amy Myers –

Today we bring you the first in a new series of international healthcare comparisons.  I’ll periodically post a comparison of the U.S. health system against that of a different nation.  We’ve heard for years now that the U.S. consistently has the highest health care expenditures per capita (check out the chart below), without any impact on health outcomes.

Whether it is through similarities or differences, we hope these comparisons can shed light on the current state of the American healthcare system and teach us a thing or two about what works and what doesn’t across the globe. 

More than cheese.  Cue “It’s a Small World After All:” first up in our tour of nations is Santésuisse, the Swiss health system.  Switzerland has long been considered one of the world’s premiere health systems; with a 99% coverage rate and life expectancy surpassed only by Japan, maybe that isn’t surprising.  While some supporters cheer the U.S. for attempting to follow in the footsteps of its Swiss counterparts, many dissenters argue that trying to apply the principles of the Swiss system to our unique troubles is about as mad as a hatter at a tea party.