By Dr. Anthony Policastro
We all know that the United States has better healthcare than most third world countries. We sometimes forget that we do not have the best healthcare system in the world. As a matter of fact, the United States is ranked 15th overall according to the 2025 CEOWORLD Health Care Index.
Taiwan is in first place. Their system has national health insurance. The main reason is the low insurance administrative costs. Despite the universal coverage, there is usually no waiting time for appointments.
South Korea is in second place. They have a mix of public and private insurance. However, there is a requirement for mandatory health insurance regardless of which type the patient has. Again administrative costs for insurance are low.
Australia is rated third. They too have a universal mix of public and private insurance. They also have a pharmaceutical benefits scheme that makes necessary medications affordable.
Canada comes in fourth. Like Taiwan, they have a universal publicly funded healthcare system. It coincidentally happens to be named Medicare. However, the coverage has some limitations. Outpatient prescription drugs are not covered. Vision and dental care are also not covered. About 70 percent of Canadians carry private health insurance for that reason.
Sweden rounds out the top five. They also have universal health care. However, they have copayments by visit and by prescription. Both copayments are capped at about $130 per 12 month period. The result is high life expectancy, high cancer survival rates and low avoidable mortality.
One might wonder how this affects lifespan. That is only one criterion. However, it is one that is easy to measure.
Of the 234 countries measured, South Korea has the world’s fifth highest lifespan. Australia is in 10th place. Sweden is 19th. Canada is 25th. Taiwan is 51st. The United States is 62nd.
The number one country for life span is Monaco. It has a population of only 39,000. They likely have a genetic component for that. However, their medical system includes universal health care. It is funded by employers paying a 24 percent tax on the gross payroll and employees paying 15 percent of their income. So it is also expensive.
Of course, the number one factor for longevity is genetics. So it is not surprising that there is variability by country. Other factors include lifestyle choices and socioeconomic status. Therefore, lifespan is actually a poor measurement for those reasons.
Clearly there is not a one size fits all system. Each has different strengths and benefits. However, there are things to be learned from how the 14 countries above us in healthcare do things. Perhaps, we need to consider some of those lessons.