What Western European nation has the best Health Care System?

[Matty]

Obviously this debate often boils down into nationalist defense of one's own country, but is there an objective answer? The NHS of Britain is extremely cost-efficient, and seems to offer good quality services. Do citizens on the mainland countries agree that their systems are inferior to Britain?

[Tender Branson]

According to the Euro Health Consumer Index 2013, which tested most European health-care systems, the Netherlands has the best system:

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http://www.healthpowerhouse.com/files/ehci-2013/ehci-2013-index-matrix-a3.pdf

http://www.healthpowerhouse.com/files/ehci-2013/ehci-2013-summary.pdf

http://www.healthpowerhouse.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=36&Itemid=55

[H. Ross Peron]

I personally like the German system.

[Ⓐnarchy in the ☭☭☭P!]

None are great. I'd say the Swiss have the best system generally, followed by the Germans. The NHS is unreliable is all hell; in one area you might get great treatment and then a few hours away you might as well be in India for the quality you get. Also, the "free" NHS system isn't very good at all, and it's kinda dumb to be forced to pay for basic coverage and then have to pay AGAIN to get something worthwhile.

[Franzl]

I think ours is reasonable. I'm fond of the Swedish system as well.

[politicus]

I think this is a subject where very few posters would have the actual knowledge to determine this.
You could argue that about most Atlas subjects, but in this case the discussion becomes outright pointless. You would need to have studied the health care system of all Western European countries in depth to determine this.

[Matty]

I guess that's true, but I'm just an ignorant, but curious, yankee after all. I've done some research and the Swiss system intrigues me, as it seems to have the "least" government involvement. I wonder why Britain decided to go a different route as the mainland countries when it came to insurance, though.

[Famous Mortimer]

I guess that's true, but I'm just an ignorant, but curious, yankee after all. I've done some research and the Swiss system intrigues me, as it seems to have the "least" government involvement. I wonder why Britain decided to go a different route as the mainland countries when it came to insurance, though.

When determining who has the best health care system, doesn't health seem like a better thing to judge than "government involvement"?

Is a man dying the street in Bangladesh healthier than a man recovering in an NHS bed because he has "less government involvement"?

[Matty]

What does a third world nation in which the vast majority of people live on subsistence farming have to do with the fact that the Swiss system intrigues me. I do, however, find it mildly terrifying that you are blaming death on lack of government.

[Velasco]

You would need to have studied the health care system of all Western European countries in depth to determine this.

Basically. And, of course, the "best" would vary depending on every expert's criteria. Isn't that what usually happen?

[Famous Mortimer]

What does a third world nation in which the vast majority of people live on subsistence farming have to do with the fact that the Swiss system intrigues me. I do, however, find it mildly terrifying that you are blaming death on lack of government.

Death is sometimes the result of lack of government. This is indisputable. Someone dies because they aren't treated. The government could have treated them.

[Matty]

What does a third world nation in which the vast majority of people live on subsistence farming have to do with the fact that the Swiss system intrigues me. I do, however, find it mildly terrifying that you are blaming death on lack of government.

Death is sometimes the result of lack of government. This is indisputable. Someone dies because they aren't treated. The government could have treated them.

I highly doubt a nation as dirt poor as Bangladesh could create a viable public healthcare system. I mean, subsaharan African nations have state run health systems, but is barely matters because of how shockingly poor and war torn the area is.

[Gunnar Larsson]

NHS, though they apparently have some problems with keeping people alive:
(The Guardian, 17/06/2014, "NHS comes top in healthcare survey")

[Famous Mortimer]

What does a third world nation in which the vast majority of people live on subsistence farming have to do with the fact that the Swiss system intrigues me. I do, however, find it mildly terrifying that you are blaming death on lack of government.

Death is sometimes the result of lack of government. This is indisputable. Someone dies because they aren't treated. The government could have treated them.

I highly doubt a nation as dirt poor as Bangladesh could create a viable public healthcare system. I mean, subsaharan African nations have state run health systems, but is barely matters because of how shockingly poor and war torn the area is.

Forget I said Bangladesh. I could just as easily have said the US. Now you are just using the fact that I said Bangladesh to avoid addressing my argument.

Someone getting no treatment at all is getting no government involvement vs someone getting NHS treatment is getting massive government involvement. Who is getting better care in your eyes?

[afleitch]

Not Wales

[Matty]

What does a third world nation in which the vast majority of people live on subsistence farming have to do with the fact that the Swiss system intrigues me. I do, however, find it mildly terrifying that you are blaming death on lack of government.

Death is sometimes the result of lack of government. This is indisputable. Someone dies because they aren't treated. The government could have treated them.

I highly doubt a nation as dirt poor as Bangladesh could create a viable public healthcare system. I mean, subsaharan African nations have state run health systems, but is barely matters because of how shockingly poor and war torn the area is.

Forget I said Bangladesh. I could just as easily have said the US. Now you are just using the fact that I said Bangladesh to avoid addressing my argument.

Someone getting no treatment at all is getting no government involvement vs someone getting NHS treatment is getting massive government involvement. Who is getting better care in your eyes?

Obviously the person on NHS.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

These threads are always completely ridiculous.

[Matty]

I didn't intend for it to be ridiculous. I was just curious as to which western european nation has the best system.

[Ⓐnarchy in the ☭☭☭P!]

What does a third world nation in which the vast majority of people live on subsistence farming have to do with the fact that the Swiss system intrigues me. I do, however, find it mildly terrifying that you are blaming death on lack of government.

Death is sometimes the result of lack of government. This is indisputable. Someone dies because they aren't treated. The government could have treated them.

Death is sometimes the result of government, too.

Also, the "government system saves people that otherwise wouldn't be saved by market system" misses the point that resources that would exist in a completely market system simply don't exist in a government system. Even with all the garbage systems of the world, this can easily be seen comparing, say, the high end of the US vs the high end of the UK, the German system vs the Swedish system, etc etc etc. Hell, in a lot of places (like Eastern Europe), you can pay a bunch of taxes for the privilege of NOT receiving treatment, so the "universal coverage" may as well not exist, and there is no private system growing via profits to cover everyone else.