International Healthcare Systems

What can we learn about universal healthcare from other countries?

With the exception of the United States, every industrialized country in the world has found a way to deliver universal healthcare for its citizens. There are a variety of ways in which these countries have achieved universal healthcare, each of which reflects that country's unique set of political and cultural beliefs. By studying the health care systems of different countries, AMSA believes that healthcare reformers can glean useful information and lessons that will one day help create a system of affordable healthcare for all in America.

AMSA's International Healthcare Systems Primer
This primer gives an overview of the health care systems of Sweden, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Japan. View the primer outline.

International Study Tours
Find out more information on AMSA's medical student study tours of other countries, including our popular SeaCouver tour.

Links and resources on international health care systems

1. The European Observatory website of the World Health Organization has extensive country-by-country profiles of each European country's health care system.
   
   
2. "Health Care Systems in Eight Countries; Trends and Challenges" is a publication of the European Observatory that contains excellent overviews of the healthcare systems of Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
   
   
3. Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) has compiled a website containing brief overviews of different health care systems around the world.
   
   
4. The WHO's famous 2000 rankings of international health care systems
   
   
5. For an excellent, highly readable textbook on international health care systems, consult Bruce Fried and Laura Gaydos' World Health Systems: Challenges and Perspectives.