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[Chaos2Frozen]

Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/09/12/health/un-health-goals-country-ranking-study/index.html

Are nations around the globe on track to meet health-related sustainable development goals for the year 2030? A new analysis finds outstanding achievements -- but a great deal of work still needed -- before the goals can be reached

This is based on measurements of 37 of 50 health-related targets proposed by the United Nations that include infant mortality, vaccination, rates of various diseases (tuberculosis, HIV, and malaria, among them), smoking, child abuse, violence and universal health coverage.

The study, published Tuesday in the journal The Lancet, also ranks 188 nations. Singapore is at the top of the list, followed by Iceland, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Finland, Israel, Malta, Switzerland and the UK. The United States trails these standout nations, landing in the 24th spot on the index.

At the opposite end were Afghanistan, which ranked last, preceded by Central African Republic, Somalia, South Sudan, Chad, Niger, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Burundi, Sierra Leone and Ethiopia.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which seeks to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all, was unanimously adopted by 193 member states of the United Nations in 2015.

The goals not only set a clear agenda, they also help "create accountability among all countries and help to spur action by key decision makers," said Nancy Fullman, lead author of the study and scientific adviser at Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at University of Washington in Seattle.

The UN plan includes 17 separate goals -- concerning everything from climate change to education -- with 169 specific targets.

Measuring overall performance on a scale from 1 to 100, the authors of the study also ranked the ability of individual countries to meet the goals. "The intention is not to create 'horse-race rankings,' " said Fulman. The aim is to provide a "scientifically strong, independent monitoring mechanism" against which countries can "benchmark their progress and identify priority areas for investment."

"Neither a 'one-size-fits-all' solution nor a silver bullet exists," said Fullman.
The countries with the lowest performance "have experienced ongoing conflict and/or recent resurgences in civil unrest, which can radically destabilize a country's health system and overall development," she said. However, many African countries with low scores are among those that have received relatively little development assistance to date, she noted.

From 2000 through 2016, universal health coverage measurements generally improved throughout the world, the authors noted, with significant improvements achieved by several countries, including Cambodia, Rwanda, Equatorial Guinea, Laos, Turkey and China. By contrast, other countries -- including the low-income nations of Lesotho and the Central African Republic as well as the high-income countries of the United States and Andorra -- showed minimal gains.

UN health goal rankings

Here are the top 30 countries among 188 nations ranked in 2016 based on progress made in meeting health-related United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

1. Singapore
2. Iceland
3. Sweden
4. Norway
5. Netherlands
6. Finland
7. Israel
8. Malta
9. Switzerland
10. UK
11. Australia
12. Canada
13. Germany
14. Italy
15. Denmark
16. Belgium
17. Antigua and Barbuda
18. Cyprus
19. Slovenia
20. Ireland
21. Japan
22. Austria
23. Spain
24. USA
25. Brunei
26. France
27. Barbados
28. South Korea
29. Czech Republic
30. Slovakia

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

USA is way too overrated
As someone who is trying to be medical man.

 

[Aiii]

#5 bitches, we be healthy!

 

[TheBowen]

UK top 10

God bless the NHS

 

[PuppetSlave]

Bronze eh

"The intention is not to create 'horse-race rankings,' " said Fulman.

Sure, that will happen

 

[EternalDarko]

Can someone find the full list?

 

[Deleted member 231381]

I've added the type of healthcare system used next to each country for the top ten.

1. Singapore (multipayer using compulsory savings account, private healthcare with heavy price controls)
2. Iceland (singlepayer, nationalised healthcare)
3. Sweden (singlepayer, nationalised healthcare)
4. Norway (singlepayer, nationalised healthcare)
5. Netherlands (multipayer using compulsory private insurance, non-profit healthcare with heavy price controls)
6. Finland (singlepayer, nationalised healthcare)
7. Israel (multipayer/singlepayer hybrid where the government raises the revenue, then distributes it to healthcare funds which do the spending, private healthcare with heavy price controls)
8. Malta (singlepayer, nationalised healthcare)
9. Switzerland (multipayer using compulsory private insurance, mixed healthcare with heavy price controls)
10. UK (singlepayer, nationalised healthcare)

That's 6 using singlepayer with nationalised healthcare or 7 if you count Israel which almost does that but with an extra level of complexity, 2 using mandated insurance with price controls, and 1 being Singapore, a model almost impossible to replicate if you're not a city state.

 

[BladeoftheImmortal]

Surprised US is better than France.

 

[Alienfan]

I'm kinda of surprised New Zealand didn't take the top 30

 

[KingV]

I've added the type of healthcare system used next to each country for the top ten.

1. Singapore (multipayer using compulsory savings account, private healthcare with heavy price controls)
2. Iceland (singlepayer, nationalised healthcare)
3. Sweden (singlepayer, nationalised healthcare)
4. Norway (singlepayer, nationalised healthcare)
5. Netherlands (multipayer using compulsory private insurance, non-profit healthcare with heavy price controls)
6. Finland (singlepayer, nationalised healthcare)
7. Israel (multipayer/singlepayer hybrid where the government raises the revenue, then distributes it to healthcare funds which do the spending, private healthcare with heavy price controls)
8. Malta (singlepayer, nationalised healthcare)
9. Switzerland (multipayer using compulsory private insurance, mixed healthcare with heavy price controls)
10. UK (singlepayer, nationalised healthcare)

That's 6 using singlepayer with nationalised healthcare or 7 if you count Israel which almost does that but with an extra level of complexity, 2 using mandated insurance with price controls, and 1 being Singapore, a model almost impossible to replicate if you're not a city state.

Singapore also has public insurance that gives a base level of insurance. It's not wholly private.

 

[caliph95]

Yeah not really surprising

 

[TheSecondSpitter]

The only surprise is that America, Home of the Brave and Land of the Obese, doesn't rank lower.

 

[Shake Appeal]

Hey, at least our government isn't tyrannically providing health care for all through the theft of "taxation," amirite.

 

[John Dunbar]

denmark brings great shame to the nordic countries.

 

[Deleted member 231381]

Singapore also has public insurance that gives a base level of insurance. It's not wholly private.

As does the Netherlands, which is only deceptively multipayer anyway, since the insurance companies are so heavily regulated they're de facto government bodies at this point.

 

[Regginator]

denmark brings great shame to the nordic countries.

I have to say I'm surorised they're so low on the list. #15 is not the place I'd have imagined for Denmark.

 

[Chaos2Frozen]

Anyone interested in going through the original report the link is here -

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(17)32336-X/fulltext

My understanding is that this health goals is not just about healthcare coverage but a whole bunch of factors like child sexual abuse and suicide mortality

 

[Bonen no Max'd]

I've added the type of healthcare system used next to each country for the top ten.

1. Singapore (multipayer using compulsory savings account, private healthcare with heavy price controls)
2. Iceland (singlepayer, nationalised healthcare)
3. Sweden (singlepayer, nationalised healthcare)
4. Norway (singlepayer, nationalised healthcare)
5. Netherlands (multipayer using compulsory private insurance, non-profit healthcare with heavy price controls)
6. Finland (singlepayer, nationalised healthcare)
7. Israel (multipayer/singlepayer hybrid where the government raises the revenue, then distributes it to healthcare funds which do the spending, private healthcare with heavy price controls)
8. Malta (singlepayer, nationalised healthcare)
9. Switzerland (multipayer using compulsory private insurance, mixed healthcare with heavy price controls)
10. UK (singlepayer, nationalised healthcare)

That's 6 using singlepayer with nationalised healthcare or 7 if you count Israel which almost does that but with an extra level of complexity, 2 using mandated insurance with price controls, and 1 being Singapore, a model almost impossible to replicate if you're not a city state.

man why are these Bernie Bros so obsessed specifically with single payer

 

[ProtomanNeo]

Those countries are more homogeneous and don't have the same history as the States.

Translation: it's easier for them to give a shit about one another, and their collective well being.

 

[hamauzu kaito]

How is Japan so low on the list?

 

[Westbahnhof]

Austria #22.. Shameful display

 

[SecretMoblin]

How is Japan so low on the list?

Ranked lower on disaster mortality, suicide, and smoking prevalence.

It's worth noting that this isn't just a ranking of health care, but a huge range of health-related factors, which is why they caution not to use it as a horse race ranking. Suboptimal results in a few factors can tank a country's "rank". Also some of these rankings are kinda eh, of course more people are going to die in "disasters" in places like The Bahamas than in other nations.

 

[Auto_aim1]

330 million population vs < 50 million? It's easier for developed countries with a decent amount of population to meet a lot of their health related goals. However, the US is an extremely wealthy country and spends more per person than any other country out there so it's kinda of a shame it's not in the top 5.

 

[therealist]

Unless you view violence as a side effect of not having universal healthcare (there is probably some impact), that statistic definitely hurts the USA since this country has way more crimes and criminal activity than these other countries. More people therefore getting hurt, which puts a strain on the healthcare system. Secondly the USA is also a very fat, obese nation with bad eating habits in comparison to the other countries that are more fit. It would be interesting to see healthcare rankings for individual cities to see if they are better. Like Boston, NYC, Chicago, SF, Seattle etc. After all, those individual cities in many cases have populations bigger than the Nordic countries anyway. It should be a apples to apples comparison.

 

[Chaos2Frozen]

Ranked lower on disaster mortality, suicide, and smoking prevalence.

It's worth noting that this isn't just a ranking of health care, but a huge range of health-related factors, which is why they caution not to use it as a horse race ranking. Suboptimal results in a few factors can tank a country's "rank". Also some of these rankings are kinda eh, of course more people are going to die in "disasters" in places like The Bahamas than in other nations.

wtf, New Zealand scored a '2' for child sex abused 0_o ?

 

[Dynasty]

UK top 10

God bless the NHS

He will not in the future.

 

[Westbahnhof]

wtf, New Zealand scored a '2' for child sex abused 0_o ?

http://www.newshub.co.nz/nznews/nzs-shocking-child-sexual-abuse-statistics-under-scrutiny-2008082318

"If you interview women in Auckland and Waikato, somewhere between 17% and 25% will say they were sexually abused in childhood," says Dr Patrick Kelly.
"If you looked at sexual abuse involving genital contact," says Dr Kelly, "that was more than 12% of the females, and the ratio in boys was about a quarter of that."

 

[hydrophilic attack]

yay sweden

we're almost best at almost everything

 

[Spoiled Milk]

Singapore is like the well-kept suburb of Malaysia so comparing it to the US is annoying.

 

[Stumpokapow]

Singapore is like the well-kept suburb of Malaysia so comparing it to the US is annoying.

It's true that one way to make America rank higher would be to claim other countries aren't really countries at all.

 

[Spoiled Milk]

It's true that one way to make America rank higher would be to claim other countries aren't really countries at all.

I'm saying don't rank America at all. It's meaningless to compare the United States to other countries because of Simpson's Paradox.

 

[Chaos2Frozen]

Singapore is like the well-kept suburb of Malaysia so comparing it to the US is annoying.

You're like 50 years too late to make the "Singapore part of Malaysia" jab.

 

[caliph95]

It's true that one way to make America rank higher would be to claim other countries aren't really countries at all.

It's a city state to be fair

But calling it a "well kept suburbs of Malaysia" is incredibly ignorant

 

[kirblar]

man why are these Bernie Bros so obsessed specifically with single payer

Because the first country on that list that they are familiar with is the UK.

 

[Deleted member 231381]

It's true that one way to make America rank higher would be to claim other countries aren't really countries at all.

Normally, I'd be in agreement but Singapore really is an exception on that front. You could look on the United States as an agglomeration of Swedens and it wouldn't be that terrible a comparison, but Singapore is really sui generis.

 

[Stumpokapow]

I'm saying don't rank America at all. It's meaningless to compare the United States to other countries because of Simpson's Paradox.

I really shouldn't bite because "America is the best because you literally can't compare countries at all" is even worse than normal, but I guess I will anyway. Simpson's Paradox arises when there is a hidden or omitted variable correlated with the quantity of interest that drives the apparently incorrect results. What is the omitted variable that you feel causes the fallacy of aggregation here?

 

[Henchmen21]

Because the first country on that list that they are familiar with is the UK.

Sarcasm is lost on you isn't it. Bonen is pro Single Payer.

 

[kirblar]

Sarcasm is lost on you isn't it. Bonen is pro Single Payer.

It is not. I am providing an explanation for why many don't consider alternatives: The countries that they look to are other wealthy English speaking nations with a shared cultural heritage like the UK and Canada, causing them to miss all the other countries like the Netherlands, Switzerland, France and Germany that have systems much closer to what we have already here in the US and that would be easier to transition to.

 

[Henchmen21]

It is not. I am providing an explanation for why many don't consider alternatives: The countries that they look to are other wealthy English speaking nations with a shared cultural heritage like the UK and Canada, causing them to miss all the other countries like the Netherlands, Switzerland, France and Germany that have systems much closer to what we have already here in the US and that would be easier to transition to.

What? Those countries do not have systems closest to the US. No one in the western world have systems closest to US. In all of those countries you listed, no one has to fear going bankrupt from medical bills.

 

[Nabbis]

Eh, im not really impressed. Still ranked as 6 with the problems we have with healthcare software and medical data sharing. I weep for the world.

 

[John Dunbar]

I really shouldn't bite because "America is the best because you literally can't compare countries at all" is even worse than normal, but I guess I will anyway. Simpson's Paradox arises when there is a hidden or omitted variable correlated with the quantity of interest that drives the apparently incorrect results. What is the omitted variable that you feel causes the fallacy of aggregation here?

freedom

 

[kirblar]

What? Those countries do not have systems closest to the US. No one in the western world have systems closest to US. In all of those countries you listed, no one has to fear going bankrupt from medical bills.

Having a mix of public and private insurers is much closer to the US's system than one singular insurer or baseline care provider.

How payments are structured and risk is distributed has nothing to do with that.

 

[spons]

Dutch health care is goddamn expensive.

 

[Morat]

No shit.

 

[hamauzu kaito]

Ranked lower on disaster mortality, suicide, and smoking prevalence.

It's worth noting that this isn't just a ranking of health care, but a huge range of health-related factors, which is why they caution not to use it as a horse race ranking. Suboptimal results in a few factors can tank a country's "rank". Also some of these rankings are kinda eh, of course more people are going to die in "disasters" in places like The Bahamas than in other nations.

Thanks for clarifying. I think it's logical for funding allocation to include inherent dangers in the listing, but I think the danger for some of the rankings is that extremely affluent countries fall low on the list. I hope a smaller subset of metrics are used when policy making.

 

[TheThreadsThatBindUs]

I'm saying don't rank America at all. It's meaningless to compare the United States to other countries because of Simpson's Paradox.

Why don't you think America shouldn't be compared with countries such as Japan, UK, Germany, France etc?

 

[TheRealTalker]

No shit.

pretty much

 

[Yeoman]

Why don't you think America shouldn't be compared with countries such as Japan, UK, Germany, France etc?

Because freedoms!

Spoiler

It's always amazed me that there are still so many people in the US that don't realise they could have a healthcare system on par with the rest of the developed world. They just need to start asking for it, so many seem to almost not want it.

 

[Azuran]

Ranked lower on disaster mortality, suicide, and smoking prevalence.

It's worth noting that this isn't just a ranking of health care, but a huge range of health-related factors, which is why they caution not to use it as a horse race ranking. Suboptimal results in a few factors can tank a country's "rank". Also some of these rankings are kinda eh, of course more people are going to die in "disasters" in places like The Bahamas than in other nations.

43 in Homicide for America.

But hey, guns aren't a problem right? Well, at least you can take comfort knowing that you're one point ahead of the superpower known as Seychelles.

 

[kirblar]

Because freedoms!

Spoiler

It's always amazed me that there are still so many people in the US that don't realise they could have a healthcare system on par with the rest of the developed world. They just need to start asking for it.

This is the eternal misunderstanding. They have been asking for it for generations. The question is who is stopping it? (the answer lies in how welfare benefits are stronger in both individual US states and in Western countries overall when the populations are more homogenous and less rural.)