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Health Care in Israel Costs Less Than Most of Western World
The cost of health care in Israel is one of the lowest in the western
world, according to statistics released today (Tuesday) by the
Central Bureau of Statistics.
Israel's per capita spending on healthcare in terms of purchasing
power parity (ppp) is just $1,814 -- 66% below the United States, 47%
below Switzerland, and 41% below Norway. The Jewish State also bested
Japan, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Ireland, Italy, Finland and
Austria.
The United States, on the other hand, spends the most on healthcare:
a whopping $5,267 per capita. Canada, which boasts a socialized
health care system like Israel's, still had a ppp of $2,931.
According to a report in Globes, total spending on healthcare in
Israel last year amounted to 8.8% of the GDP, or 46 billion shekels.
This calculation includes total spending on services by clinics,
hospitals, private healthcare services; the costs of medication, and
the purchase of medical devices
Moreover, the figures include R&D (research and development), which
Israel spends the most on proportionately of any country in the
world. According to the 2004 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook,
Israel's ratio between R&D spending and its GDP is unmatched.
Some in the government were unimpressed by the figures. Minister of
Health Danny Naveh said that "each year we pay more and receive less
healthcare coverage," referring to the government "healthcare basket"
of goods and services covered by the nation's socialized medical
program.
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