When It Comes To Calls For Reform, US Is Far From Alone

Early last month, Harris Interactive published the results of an interesting poll looking at the popularity of various health systems around the world.  The headline:  The United States has the most unpopular health system in the world.   In contrast, the Dutch system earns high marks from citizens of the Netherlands. 

One factor that may have played into the popularity of DutchCare is that it received a significant overhaul last year.  According to the Wall Street Journal, a system once plagued by high costs and long wait times is now a center of innovation.  In addition, the Dutch have succeeded in reducing overall healthcare costs by 3% after inflation.

Although many global health systems are more popular with their citizens, most are far from satisfied.  According to Harris: “Regardless of what system a country has it falls far short of satisfying public expectations.  Most systems always seem to be in a crisis or near crisis.”

So, based on the results of this study, it appears that people all over the world are calling for significant changes to their health systems.  Given this, the US is far from alone.