In the UK, healthcare costs an average of 2,892 pounds per capita, while in the US it is 7,617 pounds per person. This means that, as a proportion of the value of goods and services produced by all sectors of the economy, the UK spends slightly more than half of what the US does, and in terms of per capita spending it is just under half. Although public and private hospitals provide quality care, the NHS is known for its long waiting times and does not cover comprehensive dental treatment. To avoid this, some expatriates opt for private healthcare, although this can be expensive.
Therefore, expatriates are advised to invest in a comprehensive health insurance policy to ensure that costs are covered. Tax-based health systems such as the NHS do not have the same funding costs as health insurance plans. These include revenue collection (which would be centrally managed in tax-based systems), risk management and profits in the case of compulsory private health insurance plans. The OECD reports that in countries with predominantly insurance-based health systems, these financing costs are expected to be much higher. This helps explain why governance and financing costs are higher in high-income countries with insurance-based systems such as France and Germany. The way healthcare is provided also varies between countries.
The US saw the biggest increase in health spending as a percentage of GDP during this period, rising from 16.3% to 17.1%. In contrast, Germany, Mexico and Israel spend more on healthcare provided in outpatient settings such as general practitioners' offices, dental offices, community services and specialized clinics, as well as home care providers. Almost all funding for UK government plans comes from public funds, which is almost equivalent to the share of public revenues that fund healthcare. Overhead costs associated with the administration or operation of healthcare providers such as hospital management or payroll and procurement administration are included in other categories of healthcare expenses.
