Austin McLean

4/10/19

SNT 330 01

World Health Paper: Switzerland

I have chosen to analyze Switzerland’s health system, and make comparisons to our own

health system here in the US. Switzerland seems to have most aspects of healthcare figured out

to a decent extent, but I must keep in mind that there healthcare is a complicated topic that must

be approached differently depending on the situation. When comparing Dale ranking between

the US and Switzerland, the US ranks behind Switzerland as Switzerland has a higher disability

adjusted life expectancy. DALE measures the number of years in a person’s life that they spend

unaffected by illness or disability, and it helps to provide a better way of measuring the health of

a population. DALE is more concerned with quality and length of life rather than just the length

of life alone. Switzerland ranks 8th in this category, while the US ranks 24th. To me, this

indicates that US citizens spend more time dealing with illness and disability than Swiss citizens.

This indicates to me that the Swiss population is an overall healthier population, which may be

attributed to by their healthier lifestyles.

The US ranks first in terms of responsiveness. In fact, the US is the only country that

ranks ahead of Switzerland in this aspect of healthcare, with Switzerland ranking 2nd.

Responsiveness is a measure of how well a health care system responds to the needs of patients

and how well the system respects their needs and requests. Patient confidentiality and dignity

play a large role in measuring responsiveness. Patients having a choice of their provider is also

important when it comes to having efficient responsiveness. The ability of patients to make

decisions concerning their own health is another important thing to consider when measuring
responsiveness. Health care systems should strive to provide attentive care to patients and make

sure that they have access to social support, as well as making sure that the basic amenities

provided are of sufficient quality. The reason that the US ranks ahead of Switzerland in

responsiveness might be because the US greatly values the rights of the patient and their

preferences, more so than any other nation. The freedom of choice is most prevalent in the

United States. The US also spends the most money on health care, so it would be expected that

the quality of care provided to patients would be the best. Responsiveness strongly correlated

with availability of resources in a country. Many countries do not take full advantage of their

resources.

Fairness of financial contribution is another measurement to consider when determining

efficiency of a healthcare system. This measurement is derived from the percentage of household

income that goes toward healthcare. Cost of health insurance, out of pocket payments, and tax

payments contributed to this percentage. Switzerland ranks ahead of the US in fairness of

financial contribution. The US ranks at 54-55, while Switzerland comes in at 38-40. This

difference in ranking might be due to the cost of many medical services in the US being very

high in comparison to many other countries. In countries with a well developed health care

systems, a medical scan such as an MRI will cost a mere fraction of the price for an MRI in the

US. Also, fairness in the US may be lower because of the large portion of uninsured individuals

that are forced to pay the full price of medical services out of pocket.

Responsiveness is not the only criteria that the US ranks first in. The US also takes the

number one spot when it comes to expenditure per capita. Expenditure per capita in healthcare is

a ratio of the amount of money spent on healthcare per person in a population. This reflects

overall amount of money that a country spends on health care, so it makes sense that the US
would be ranked number one. Switzerland is ranked 2nd in this criteria. It seems that expenditure

per capita directly correlates with responsiveness in the comparison of these two countries. I

would expect countries to have better health care responsiveness when they spend more on

healthcare. Higher spending usually results in access better technology and resources for

physicians to use when treating patients. Switzerland spends much less than the US, but they also

have a much smaller population, which is most likely why the expenditure per capita ratios for

these countries are still so similar.

Overall health system performance is a measurement of capability of a healthcare system

to provide coverage for its citizens. High levels of uninsured citizens will lead to high levels of

morbidity and mortality that could have been prevented if medical care had been more

accessible. The US is ranked 37th when it comes to overall health system performance, while

Switzerland is ranked 20th. This difference in ranking is largely due to the larger number of

uninsured citizens in the US when compared to Switzerland. Switzerland has a highly developed

health care system while the healthcare system in the US largely divided.

The US uses about 17% of their GDP spending on healthcare, which considerably high,

while Switzerland only spends only around 12% of their GDP on healthcare. (Health System

Tracker, 2018) The infant mortality rate for live births in Switzerland is about 4 deaths per every

1,000 live births, while in the US it is about 5.8 deaths per every 1,000 live births. The higher

infant mortality rate in the US is partially a result of situations where uninsured people have less

access to prenatal care. Health care in the US is divided system that leaves many uninsured. The

mortality rate in Switzerland for children under 5 is the same as their infant mortality rate of

about 4 per every 1,000. In the US, the mortality rate for children under 5 is slightly higher than

the infant mortality rate, this rate is about 7 deaths per every 1,000 children. (CDC, 2017)
 Healthcare in Switzerland is funded both publicly and privately. Those who wish to live

in Switzerland must contact a public or private health insurance provider within 3 months of

arriving to the country. The healthcare system in Switzerland is funded isn’t funded by taxes or

employers. Public health insurance providers in switzerland are not allowed to deny any

applicants, regardless if they have a pre existing condition. It is the full responsibility of the

individual to acquire health insurance. (Healthcare in Switzerland, 2019)

There are many ways that the US could improve its healthcare system based on the

World Health Organization criteria. The US could try to adapt a more unified system of

healthcare so that there are less individuals left uninsured. A large amount of morbidities and

mortalities occur because of uninsured individuals refusing to seek care that they cannot afford.

Paying medical bills without the help of insurance is impossible for many families in the US, so

some will try to put off seeking treatment for as long as they can, and sometimes when they do

finally seek treatment it’s too late. Healthcare could also be improved by increasing the

promotion of public health, which would help citizens shift toward healthier lifestyles. (Cutler,

2015)

References

Switzerland. (2019, April 15). Retrieved from http://www.euro.who.int/en/countries/switzerland

US healthcare spending growth increase modest. (2015). PharmacoEconomics & Outcomes

News, Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40274-015-2364-7

Infant Mortality | Maternal and Infant Health | Reproductive Health | CDC. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/maternalinfanthealth/infantmortality.htm

How does health spending in the U.S. compare to other countries? (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/health-spending-u-s-compare-

countries/#item-relative-size-wealth-u-s-spends-disproportionate-amount-health

Healthcare in Switzerland. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.internations.org/switzerland-

expats/guide/living-in-switzerland-15504/healthcare-in-switzerland-2

Cutler, D. M. (n.d.). How States Can Improve the Health Care System. Retrieved from

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/healthcare/reports/2010/09/17/8347/how-states-can-

improve-the-health-care-system/