Create a table that compares the following factors for the United States and the two
countries selected (for a total of three countries represented on the table):
Income and Economy (Economy tab):
1.Population Below the poverty line (A measure of extreme poverty).
2.Gross Domestic Product per capita (PPP).
Programs, Funding, and Financing (People and Society tab):
1.Total % GDP expenditures on health.
2.Availability of funding assistance from other countries (Debt-external).
3.Health care workforce and capacity to provide care (Physicians Density).
Other Diseases, Conditions, and Risk Indicators:
1.Spotlight on Diseases/Conditions (HIV/Aids Prevalence Rate; Obesity � adult prevalence
rate; Children under the age of 5 years underweight).
2.Population with sustainable access to improved water source (Drinking Water Source).
3.Population with sustainable access to improved sanitation (Sanitation facility access).
GLOBAL COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HEALTH CARE2
Based on the comparative table you developed, rank the countries according to access, cost,
and sustainability. Which of the countries is the most sustainable and why? Which of the
countries is least sustainable and why? Rationale must be provided with your responses.
Global Comparative Analysis of Health Care Resources and Access
Table 1 below shows a comparison of various factors that influence the availability of
resources and access to health care for the US, Japan, and Germany using CIA data (CIA, 2016) .
Table 1 : A comparison of health care
US Germany Japan
INCOME AND ECONOMY
Population below poverty line (%) 15.10% 16.70% 16.10%
Gross domestic product per capita ($) $57,400 $48,100 $41,300
PROGRAMS, FUNDING, AND FINANCING
Total % GDP expenditure on health (%) 17.10% 11.30% 10.20%
Availability of funding assistance from other countries (trillion $) $17.91 $5.33 $3.24
Health care workforce capacity to provide care (physicians/1000
population)
2.55 4.13 2.3
OTHER DISEASES, CONDITIONS, AND RISK INDICATORS
HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate (%) – – –
Obesity – adult prevalence rate (%) 35.00% 22.70% 3.50%
Children under the age of 5 years underweight (%) 0.50% 1.10% 3.40%
Population with sustainable access to improved water source 99.20% 100% 100%
Population with sustainable access to improved sanitation 100% 99.2% 100%
Ranking of the countries
Below is a table of rankings of the three countries based on access, cost, and
sustainability of health care. Using the access criteria, a little number represents better access to
health care. For the population below the poverty line, it is harder for them to access healthcare
and, therefore, the US with the lowest percentage ranks best. Underweight children below the
age of five indicate malnutrition or poor post-natal care. Therefore, a lower percentage represents
GLOBAL COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HEALTH CARE3
better ranking. A high prevalence of obesity among adults is indicative of poor access to health
care through either misinformation or cost. In this case, a lower rate of obesity represents better
access to health care. Based on access to health care, therefore, the US ranks best, followed by
Japan, and Germany ranks third as shown below.
RANK
US Germany Japan
Access
Population below the poverty line 1 3 2
Children under the age of 5 years underweight 1 2 3
Obesity – adult prevalence rate 3 2 1
1.67 2.33 2.00
Cost
Total % GDP expenditure on health 1 2 3
Availability of funding assistance from other countries 1 2 3
1 2 3
Sustainability
Health care workforce capacity to provide care 2 1 3
Population with sustainable access to improved water source 2 1 1
Population with sustainable access to improved sanitation 1 1 2
Gross domestic product per capita 1 2 3
1.5 1.25 2.25
Overall Average 1.67 1.56 2.33
Germany ranks as the most sustainable regarding health care. This is due to several factors such
as having the most physicians per 1000 people among the three countries, 100% and 99.2% of
the population having access to clean water and sanitation respectively, and the second highest
GDP of the 3. Japan ranks as the least sustainable since it has the lowest physician to population
ratio, the lowest GDP, and the lowest access to sanitation levels of the three countries.
Regarding cost, the US ranks best since the cost to access health care reduces with increased
budgetary allocation to health. If this is the case, the US has the highest percentage allocation
while Japan has the lowest. Also, the US has the highest funding assistance from other countries
GLOBAL COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HEALTH CARE4
among the three. The assumption is that healthcare gets a proportion of such funds. Overall,
when considering all factors above, Germany is the most sustainable, while Japan is the least
sustainable of the three countries.
GLOBAL COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HEALTH CARE5
References
CIA. (2016). The World Factbook. Retrieved from Central Intelligence Agency: