It seems while the USA is having a debate about the availability of health insurance for all its citizens, many supposedly third world nations have taken this issue by the scruff of its neck.

Mexico and China are just 2 of a number of countries that are far less affluent than the USA, but have made unilateral decisions to ensure all their citizens are adequately covered by some form of health insurance.

Intriguingly, rather than viewing it as a health issue, it is viewed as a shrewd economic investment.

Speaking with reporters, Dr. Julio Frenk, a former health minister in Mexico and dean of the Harvard School of Public Health said: “This is truly a global movement. As countries advance, they are realizing that creating universal healthcare systems is a necessity for long-term economic development.”

In Britain the compulsory payment of national insurance goes towards the funding of universal health care, namely the NHS. However, with an aging population and rising costs many politicians of a particular persuasion believe that this may no longer be sufficient; they believe private insurance should also play its part.

How this pans out in Britain will not be known for some time. But that hasn’t stopped many poor nations considering offering their citizens better health care provision paid for by either the State or private insurance companies or a mixture of both. For instance, Thailand, which has just 20% GDP compared to the USA, only 1% of its population doesn’t have some form of health insurance.

This statistic is interesting as it shows that the USA appears to be left standing. Oddly, it looks as if that mighty economic country could be about to play catch up with the rest of the world.