Question 1

The U.S comprises the single largest purchaser of health care services in the world, even though it accounts for only 2% of the world's population.

Accepted Answer

The first part of the statement is correct, as the U.S. accounts for about 40% of all health expenditures in the world. However, the U.S. accounts for about 5% of the world population.

Question 2

Since health care expenditures in many poor African countries such as Ghana average about $12 per person per year, there is no misallocation of resources.

Accepted Answer

Even when the budgeted amounts are very small, misallocation of resources can and does occur.

Question 3

Health care expenditures in high-income countries average a much higher percentage of GDP; compared to health expenditures in low-income countries.

Accepted Answer

High-income countries typically allocate a larger portion of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to healthcare expenditures compared to low-income countries, reflecting their greater financial capacity to invest in health systems and services.

Question 4

In general, spending more is correlated with improved health; however, differences in spending and income across countries, differences in cultural and medical practices, and the interrelationship among all three make this a statement that can be made only very roughly.

Accepted Answer

Higher healthcare spending often correlates with better health outcomes, but variations in how countries allocate resources, cultural factors, and the complex interplay between healthcare spending, practices, and socioeconomic status make this a generalization that doesn't uniformly apply across different nations.

Question 5

The statement "correlation does not imply causality" is especially demonstrated when comparing the relationship between health expenditures and health outcomes in the U.S. with that in Japan or Sweden.

Accepted Answer

The U.S. spends significantly more on healthcare compared to Japan or Sweden but does not necessarily have better health outcomes, illustrating that higher spending (correlation) does not automatically lead to better health (causality).

Question 6

In low-income countries, family control over income and education play key factors in improving health of children.

Accepted Answer

In low-income countries, family control over income and education significantly impacts children's health by enabling better access to nutrition, healthcare, and educational opportunities, which are crucial for their physical and cognitive development.

Question 7

In low income countries, the same challenges that their governments face in economic development challenge the dissemination of health care services: lack of infrastructure in markets such as food delivery and disorganization and poor control of budgets and money supply.

Accepted Answer

In low-income countries, the challenges in economic development, such as lack of infrastructure and poor budget management, directly impact the efficiency and reach of healthcare services, making it difficult to disseminate these services effectively.

Question 8

In low income countries, living in rural areas is highly correlated with worse health outcomes than living in urban centers.

Accepted Answer

Rural areas in low-income countries often have limited access to healthcare services, lower quality of healthcare, higher levels of poverty, and less sanitation infrastructure compared to urban centers, leading to worse health outcomes for their populations.

Question 9

Ghana' status has been recently redefined from a "poor lower income" country to a "lower middle income" country, with income per capita of about $1600 per year in 2010. In theory, universal health coverage is available for everyone, but only 34% of the population chose to enroll, as of 2010.

Accepted Answer

Ghana's status was indeed reclassified to a "lower middle income" country around 2010, reflecting its economic growth and increased per capita income. Despite the theoretical availability of universal health coverage, a significant portion of the population did not enroll, highlighting challenges in accessibility or awareness.

Question 10

Intensity of services provided rather than number of physician or hospital day inputs seems to explain the U.S. as an outlier in health expenditures.

Accepted Answer

The U.S. is an outlier in health expenditures primarily due to the higher intensity of services provided, including more widespread use of expensive medical technologies and higher prices, rather than the number of physician or hospital day inputs.

Question 11

In general, European countries have managed to maintain health care expenditures in the range of 6 to 11 percent of GDP by using social insurance programs along with supply side measures such as global controls on the number of health care workers. The U.S. on the other hand, remains an outlier. Supply side measures such as limiting the number of physicians are not practiced in the U.S.

Accepted Answer

It is the last statement that is not correct. Supply side measures are indeed practiced in the U.S., just not to the same extent as in European countries.

Question 12

In low income countries, increasing expenditures on public health programs can be expected to have much less impact in terms of decreasing infant and child mortality than do increases in expenditures in high income countries.

Accepted Answer

In high income countries, increasing expenditures on public health programs can be expected to have much less impact in terms of decreasing infant and child mortality than do increases in expenditures in low income countries.

Question 13

Increases in the proportion of health expenditures as a percentage of GDP in low income, middle income and high income countries reflect both an increase in costs and an increase in the proportion of a country's resources dedicated to health care.

Accepted Answer

As health expenditures as a percentage of GDP increase, it indicates not only rising costs of healthcare services and products but also a greater allocation of a country's economic resources towards healthcare, affecting low, middle, and high income countries alike. This reflects both inflation in healthcare costs and a prioritization of health in the country's budget.

Question 14

Detroit, USA and Windsor, Canada are the two cities on either side of the border between the U.S. and Canada. Crossing the border by car usually does not take much time when all of the documents are in order. Because of the nursing shortage in the U.S. it has been a long standing practice for many Detroit hospitals to fill the shortages by hiring Canadian nurses from Windsor who cross the border back and forth every day. This is an example of international trade in healthcare which is recorded in world economic accounts.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of "trade in people", not in goods or services. Thus, this transaction does not formally classify as a "trade", even though it does contribute to making each country's healthcare sector more international, and more globalized.

Question 15

How would you interpret the following statement: "The curve depicting the relationship between national income per capita and life expectancy has shifted upward over time"?

Accepted Answer

The statement implies that for a given level of national income per capita, life expectancy has increased over time. This suggests improvements in factors like healthcare, technology, and knowledge transfer that enhance life expectancy independently of changes in income.

Question 16

Which of the following statements about the healthcare systems of middle-income countries is false?

Accepted Answer

The first statement in (a) is correct: health outcomes vary greatly between urban and rural citizens. However, most citizens live in urban areas.

Question 17

Which of the following trends has started years ago in the U.S. healthcare sector and now can be observed in the Polish healthcare industry as well?

Accepted Answer

Use of predetermined reimbursement rates and limits on the number of services by public insurers is a trend that has started years ago in the U.S. healthcare sector and now can be observed in the Polish healthcare industry as well.

Question 18

Which of the following statements about the healthcare system in China is false?
Recent healthcare reforms in China

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following statements about the...

Question 19

Which of the following is not a correct statement about the Japanese healthcare system?

Accepted Answer

The statement about medical care to the elderly being provided free of charge in Japan is incorrect. While Japan does have a comprehensive healthcare system that includes care for the elderly, it requires cost sharing for most services, contrary to the claim of being free of charge.

Question 20

The statements below attempt to describe different aspects or features of the German healthcare system. Which of these statements is correct?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The statements below attempt to describe different...

Quiz 16: International Comparisons of Health and Health Expenditures