Foreign Governments

In 2000, the World Health Organization released a ranking of the world's health system, with some startling results. Out of 190 countries analyzed, the United States did not rank in the top five, top ten, or even the top twenty-five; the American health care system was ranked 37th. This served as a major push for President Obama to enact the Affordable Care Art of 2010, creating universal health care.

In the assessment of world health care systems, the World Health Organization found that France provided the "close to best overall health care" in the world. In 2011, France spent 11.6% of GDP on health care; while this percentage is significantly higher than its European counterparts, it still was less than the United States. In this system, most general physicians are in private practice but draw their income from public insurance funds. The government has taken responsibility for the financial and operational management of health insurance by setting premium levels related to income and determining the prices of goods and services refunded.This system has been so successful because it features a mix of public and private services, relatively low expenditure, high patient success rates and low mortality rates as well as high consumer satisfaction. By enacting the Affordable Care Act, President Obama aimed to emulate the structure of foreign health care systems because of their relative success in providing better care with less spending.