Food for thought. Iceland has a universal health care system that is administered by The Ministry of Welfare (Icelandic: Velferðarráðuneytið)[147] and paid for mostly by taxes (85%) and to a lesser extent by service fees (15%). Unlike most developed nations, there are no private hospitals, and private insurance is practically nonexistent.[148] A considerable portion of the government budget is assigned to health care,[148] and Iceland ranks 11th in health care expenditures as a percentage of GDP[149] and 14th in spending per capita.[150] Over all, the country’s healthcare system is one of the best performing in the world, ranked 15th by the World Health Organization.[151] According to an OECD report, Iceland devotes far more resources to healthcare than most industrialized nations. As of 2009, Iceland had 3.7 doctors per 1,000 people (compared with an average of 3.1 in OECD countries) and 15.3 nurses per 1,000 people (compared with an OECD average of 8.4).[152] Icelanders are among the world’s healthiest people, with 81% reporting to be in good health, according to an OECD survey.[69] Although it is a growing problem, obesity is not as prevalent as in other developed countries,[152] infant mortality is one the lowest in the world,[153] and the proportion of the population that smokes is lower than the OECD average.[152] The average life expectancy is 81.8 (compared to an OECD average of 79.5), the 4th highest in the world.[154] Additionally, Iceland has a very low level of pollution, thanks to an overwhelming reliance on cleaner geothermal energy, a low population density, and a high level of environmental consciousness among citizens.[155] According to an OECD assessment, the amount of toxic material in the atmosphere is far lower than any other industrialized country measured.[15
Posted on: Sat, 31 Aug 2013 03:43:34 +0000
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