Can the bipartisan effort help urban and rural Americans gain affordable internet access? — Blink, and you would’ve missed the Biden Administration’s announcement of a new initiative to expand broadband access and help bridge America’s “digital divide” last month. The Biden Administration announced that the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is offering a $30-per-month subsidy to low-income households for their internet bills as a part…

The Medicare Shared Savings Program is tilted against rural doctors and hospitals seeking to coordinate care. — There is a policy shortfall facing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) called the “rural glitch.” Typically, a glitch represents a minor problem that causes a temporary setback. Yet, for hospitals that are a part of rural Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), the reimbursement glitch is far from minor…

Greece struggles to preserve access and quality amidst its long-running fiscal crisis. — By Gregg Girvan, Mark Dornauer, and Avik Roy Introduction Greece ranked 26th in the 2021 WIHI Analysis — up one spot from the year before. Admittedly, Greece struggled across multiple Dimensions and performed poorest in the WIHI Dimension for Quality at 28th. Greece also struggled in the Dimension for Fiscal Sustainability…

Hungary’s single-payer system spends less than peer nations but suffers from poor health outcomes. — By Gregg Girvan, Mark Dornauer, and Avik Roy Introduction Hungary’s single-payer system ranked 27th in the 2021 WIHI Analysis — down two spots from its inaugural ranking in 2020. Notably, Hungary ranked 10th in the WIHI Dimension for Fiscal Sustainability, primarily due to its relatively low health care spending (approximately 6.6…

Finland aggressively restricts patient access and choice but ranks among the better socialized systems in quality. — By Gregg Girvan, Mark Dornauer, and Avik Roy Introduction Finland ranked 21st overall in the 2021 WIHI Analysis — up two spots from its inaugural 2020 ranking. Like last year, Finland performed best in the WIHI Dimension for Science & Technology (9th), mainly due to its (near) world-leading adoption of electronic…

New Zealand’s socialized health system performs well on health outcomes but aggressively restricts patient choice in the face of rising costs. — By Gregg Girvan, Mark Dornauer, and Avik Roy Introduction New Zealand ranked 15th overall in the 2021 WIHI Analysis — up five spots from its inaugural 2020 ranking. The island nation ranked highest in the WIHI Dimension for Quality (6th). In particular, the Element “Pandemic Preparedness and Response” (5th) boosted New…

Forty-four percent of Australians choose private health insurance, despite the universal availability of government-run coverage. — By Gregg Girvan, Mark Dornauer, and Avik Roy Introduction Australia ranked 7th overall in the 2021 WIHI Analysis. Notably, Australia rose four spots from its inaugural ranking due to its excellent scores in the WIHI Dimensions for Quality (5th) and Choice (5th). Both metrics speak to the unique two-tiered public-private health…

Canadian patients benefit from the availability of quality care in the United States, should they be unable to receive treatment in Canada. — By Gregg Girvan, Mark Dornauer, and Avik Roy Introduction Canada ranked 23rd in the 2021 WIHI Analysis — a drop from 17th a year before. In many ways, Canada was emblematic of many countries in the WIHI analysis; it performed well in specific Dimensions but less so in others. For instance…

Italy’s socialized health care system performs mediocre-to-poorly across the board. — By Gregg Girvan, Mark Dornauer, and Avik Roy Introduction Sadly, the Covid-19 pandemic exposed the shortcomings of Italy’s socialized health care system. Italy ranked 28th overall in the 2021 WIHI Analysis and performed below average across four Dimensions — ranking 25th for Quality, 29th for Choice, 24th for Science & Technology…