WORLDVIEW: Moenie worry nie SA, US medical aid costs R25,000 a month

Health insurance costs hit a horrifying benchmark in the US as the average cost of an employer-based scheme covering a family of four topped $20,000 (R300,000) a year. This puts into perspective the R1,500 average monthly cost of a South African plan, doesn't it? It should also serve as a warning to all who believe that private health insurance is the most cost-efficient way to go.

Let's put this into perspective. The average spending per person on healthcare in the US – which is dominated by a private health insurance system for those under 65, with two government programs, Medicare and Medicaid, providing coverage for older and low-income folks respectively – is $10,200. US life expectancy is 78.8 years (it has fallen recently), its maternal mortality rate (deaths of women per 100,000 live births) is 14, and its infant mortality rate (deaths of children under 5 per 100,000 live births) is 5.97.

The UK, with a comprehensive public system, spends $4,250 per person. Life expectancy is 80.8, maternal mortality is 9, and infant mortality is 4.19. Canada, another place with a comprehensive public system, spends $4,830 per person. Life expectancy is 81.8, maternal mortality is 7, and infant mortality is 4.73. Germany, which has a universal healthcare system that is mostly (about 80%) government-funded, spends $5,730 per person (note how the introduction of a private element is associated with higher costs). Life expectancy is 80.7, maternal mortality is 6, and infant mortality is 3.1.

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