The health blog at the Wall Street Journal has news from France (new drug co-pays), China (massive new investment in clinics) and Switzerland and the Netherlands (which both have individual mandates of the kind that U.S. reform may require).
Here’s a quick look at what’s been happening in a few other countries around the world, as everybody tries to figure out how to provide health care without going broke:
Switzerland and the Netherlands both mandate that all adults must buy their own insurance or pay a penalty. That’s the same model that the state of Massachusetts has incorporated in its reform efforts as well.
Earlier this year, China decided to reform its health-care system. It plans to spend a lot of money building new hospitals and clinics, and will offer state subsidies for premium insurance with a goal of providing basic coverage to 90% of the country’s population within three years.
